Primary factors in intergenerational social class mobility: persistence or change?

Abstract:

Past research has extensively examined trends in relative rates of intergenerational social class mobility in 20th century Western Europe. However, less attention has been given to how patterns of social fluidity may have changed over time. This study addresses this gap by analyzing trends in the social fluidity pattern and its sources, their cross-national commonalities, and their implications for inequalities in relative mobility chances, using data on individuals born in 1938–1987 from 15 Western European countries. Leveraging a topological model to describe patterns of relative rates, this study identifies their sources in three kinds of “primary factors”: class hierarchy, class inheritance, and status affinity. The findings reveal that the apparent stability in the levels and patterns of social fluidity is not due to stability in primary factors. Instead, it reflects changes in primary factors that offset each other. Conversely, changes in the levels and patterns of social fluidity occur when several, if not all, primary factors change in ways that do not fully offset each other. Although stability in social fluidity is common, notable differences emerge in how primary factors change across genders and groups of countries with similar fluidity levels and geopolitical characteristics. Overall, the results suggest a tendency towards stable social fluidity, likely maintained by advantaged parents who continually adjust their mobility strategies to protect their children from social demotion, responding dynamically to changes in the opportunity structure.