MEANING AND DEFINITION OF SOCIAL MOBILITY

Meaning of Social Mobility

• Individuals are recognized in society through the statuses they occupy and the roles they enact.
• Both society and individuals are dynamic, with people constantly striving to enhance their status and position.
• People often move from a lower position to a higher position, seeking superior jobs or social standing.
• Social mobility refers to the movement of individuals up or down the status scale.
• The study of social mobility is a key aspect of social stratification, as it is inseparable from the stratification system.
• The stratification system places people in different layers or strata of society.
• Social mobility explores whether an individual’s placement in these strata is permanent or alterable.
• Social mobility examines what factors contribute to changes in an individual’s status and the consequences of these changes for society.

Definition of Social Mobility

• Wallace and Wallace define social mobility as “the movement of a person or persons from one social status to another.”
• W.P. Scott defines it as “the movement of an individual or group from one social class or social stratum to another.”
• N. Abercrombie and others define social mobility as “the movement of individuals between different levels of the social hierarchy, usually defined occupationally.”
• Social mobility involves the movement of an individual or group from one social status or position to another.
• Examples of social mobility include the poor becoming rich, bank peons becoming bank officers, farmers becoming ministers, a petty businessman becoming bankrupt, and the ruling class being ousted from office.