Vertical mobility horizontal mobility diagram. social mobility

Ticket 10. Social mobility: concept, types, channels

concept "social mobility" introduced by P. Sorokin. He believed that society is a huge social space in which people move both in reality and conditionally, in the opinion of others and their own.

social mobility is a change by an individual or a group of its position in the social space. According to the directions of social movements, vertical and horizontal social mobility are distinguished.

Vertical mobility- social displacement, which is accompanied by an increase or decrease in social status.

Moving to a higher social position is called upward mobility, and on the lower downward mobility.

Horizontal mobility- social displacement, not associated with a change in social status, - transfer to another place of work in the same position, change of residence. If social status changes when moving, then geographic mobility turns into migration.

By types of mobility sociologists distinguish between intergenerational and intragenerational. Intergenerational mobility change in social status between generations. Intragenerational mobility associated with social career,, which means a change in status within one generation.

In accordance with the change by the individual of his social position in society, they distinguish two forms of mobility: group and individual. group mobility- movements are made collectively, and entire classes, social strata change their status. (It happens during periods of fundamental changes in society - social revolutions, civil or interstate wars, military coups). Individual mobility means the social displacement of a particular person.

Channels of social mobility may perform: school, education, family, professional organizations, army, political parties and organizations, church. Of course, in modern society, education is of particular importance, the institutions of which perform the function of a kind of "social lift" providing vertical mobility. social lift is a mechanism for raising (or lowering) social status.

At the same time, it should be noted that the processes of social mobility can be accompanied by the marginalization and lumpenization of society. Under marginality refers to an intermediate, “borderline” state of a social subject. Marginal when moving from one social group to another, he retains the old system of values, connections, habits and cannot learn new ones (migrants, the unemployed). lumpen, trying in the process of social mobility to move from the old group to the new one, finds himself outside the group altogether, breaks social ties and eventually loses basic human qualities - the ability to work and the need for it (beggars, homeless people).

The concept and types of social mobility

An analysis of the causes of social inequality always entails the question of whether an individual himself can achieve an increase in his social status and join the composition of a social stratum located above his own on the scale of wealth and prestige. In modern society, it is generally accepted that the starting opportunities for all people are equal and the individual will certainly succeed if he makes the appropriate efforts and acts purposefully. Often this idea is illustrated by examples of the dizzying careers of millionaires who started from nothing, and shepherdesses who turned into movie stars.

social mobility called the movement of individuals in the system of social stratification from one layer to another. There are at least two main reasons for the existence of social mobility in society. First, societies change, and social change alters the division of labor, creating new statuses and undermining old ones. Second, although the elite may monopolize educational opportunities, it is unable to control the natural distribution of talent and ability, so the upper strata are inevitably replenished by talented people from the lower strata.

Social mobility comes in many forms:

vertical mobility- a change in the position of the individual, which causes an increase or decrease in his social status. For example, if an auto mechanic becomes the director of a car service, this is an indication of upward mobility, but if an auto mechanic becomes a scavenger, such a movement will be an indicator of downward mobility;

horizontal mobility- a change in position that does not lead to an increase or decrease in social status.

A form of horizontal mobility is geographical mobility.

It does not imply a change in status or group, but a movement from one place to another while maintaining the same status. An example is international and interregional tourism, moving from a city to a village and back, moving from one enterprise to another.

If a change of status is added to a change of place, then geographic mobility becomes migration. If a villager comes to the city to visit relatives, then this is geographic mobility. If he moved to the city for permanent residence and got a job here, then this is migration.

intergenerational(intergeneration) mobility - is revealed by comparing the social status of parents and their children at a certain point in the career of both (according to the rank of their profession at approximately the same age).

intragenerational(intragenerational) mobility - involves a comparison of the social status of the individual for a long time.

Classification of social mobility can be carried out according to other criteria. So, for example, one distinguishes individual mobility, when movements down, up or horizontally occur in an individual independently of others, and group mobility, when movements occur collectively, for example, after a social revolution, the old ruling class cedes its positions to the new ruling class.

On other grounds, mobility can be classified, say, into spontaneous or organized. An example of spontaneous mobility is the movement of residents of the near abroad to large cities of Russia for the purpose of earning money. Organized mobility (moving a person or entire groups up, down or horizontally) is controlled by the state. As P. Sorokin showed on a huge historical material, the following factors acted as the causes of group mobility:

social revolutions;

Foreign interventions, invasions;

Interstate wars;

Civil wars;

military coups;

Change of political regimes;

Replacing the old constitution with a new one;

Peasant uprisings;

Internecine struggle of aristocratic families;

Creation of an empire.

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The concept and parameters of social mobility

The concept of " social mobility» introduced into science by P.A. Sorokin. According to him, “social mobility is understood as any transition of an individual, or a social object, or a value created or modified through activity, from one social position to another.” In social mobility P.A. Sorokin included:

Movement of individuals from one social group to another;

The disappearance of some and the emergence of other social groups;

The disappearance of a whole set of groups and its complete replacement by another.

Cause of social mobility P.A. Sorokin saw the implementation in society of the principle of distribution of benefits in proportion to the merits of each of its members, because even partial implementation of this principle leads to increased social mobility and renewal of the composition of the higher strata. Otherwise, over time, these strata accumulate a large number of sluggish, incapable people, and in the low strata, on the contrary, talented people. Thus, socially combustible material is created in the form of discontent and protest in the low strata, which can lead to a revolution. To prevent this from happening, society must abandon the rigid social structure, carry out social mobility constantly and in a timely manner, improve and control it.

Factors affecting social mobility:

The level of economic development (for example, during a period of economic depression - downward mobility);

Historical type of stratification (class and caste societies limit social mobility);

Demographic factors (gender, age, birth rate, death rate, population density). Overpopulated countries are more likely to experience the effects of emigration than immigration; where the birth rate is high, the population is younger and therefore more mobile, and vice versa.

Indicators (parameters) of social mobility.

Social mobility is measured by two main indicators:

distance

volume.

Mobility Distance- the number of steps that individuals managed to climb or had to descend. normal distance moving one or two steps up or down is considered. abnormal distance- an unexpected rise to the top of the social ladder or a fall to its base.

The scope of mobility called the number of individuals who have moved up the social ladder in a vertical direction in a certain period of time. If the volume is calculated by the number of moved individuals, then it is called absolute, and if the ratio of this number to the entire population, then - relative and is indicated as a percentage.

So, social mobility- this is the movement of an individual or a social group from one social stratum to another, or within a social stratum, a change in the place of a particular social subject in the social structure.

Types of social mobility

Exists two main types of social mobility:

Intergenerational

Intragenerational

and two main types:

vertical

Horizontal.

They, in turn, fall into subspecies and subtypes that are closely related to each other.

Intergenerational mobility- when children reach a higher social position or fall to a lower level than their parents.

Intragenerational mobility- the same individual changes social positions several times throughout his life. Otherwise it is called a social career.

Vertical mobility is the movement of an individual or social group from one stratum to another, while there is a change in social status. Depending on the direction of movement highlight the following types of vertical mobility:

Rising (social rise);

Descending (social descent).

There is a certain asymmetry between ascent and descent: everyone wants to go up and no one wants to go down the social ladder. As a rule, ascent is a voluntary phenomenon, while descent is forced.

Channels of vertical mobility.

According to P.A. Sorokin, in any society between the strata there are channels("elevators"), on which individuals move up and down. Of particular interest are social institutions - army, church, school, family, property, which are used as channels of social mobility.

Army functions most intensively as such a channel in wartime. Large losses among the command staff lead to the filling of vacancies from lower ranks.

Church moved a large number of people from the bottom to the top of society, and vice versa. The institute of celibacy obliged the Catholic clergy not to have children. Therefore, after the death of officials, the vacant positions were filled with new people. At the same time, thousands of heretics were put on trial, destroyed, among them were many kings, aristocrats.

School: the institution of education at all times served as a powerful channel of social mobility, because education was always valued, and educated people had a high status.

Own most clearly manifests itself in the form of accumulated wealth and money, which is one of the simplest and most effective ways of social advancement.

Family and marriage become a channel of vertical mobility in the event that representatives of different social statuses enter the union.

Horizontal mobility- this is the transition of an individual or a social group from one social group to another, located at the same level, i.e. without changing social status.

A kind of horizontal mobility is geographical mobility. It does not imply a change in status or group, but a movement from one place to another while maintaining the same status. An example is tourism, moving from a city to a village and back, moving from one enterprise to another.

If a change of status is added to a change of place, then geographic mobility turns into migration.

Also distinguish individual and group mobility.

Individual mobility- moving down, up or horizontally occurs for each person independently of others.

To factors of individual mobility, those. reasons that allow one person to achieve greater success than another include: the social status of the family; the level of education received; nationality; physical and mental abilities; external data; received upbringing; place of residence; profitable marriage.

group mobility- Movements happen collectively. For example, after a revolution, the old class cedes its dominant position to the new class. According to P.A. Sorokin reasons for group mobility the following factors serve: social revolutions; foreign interventions; invasions; interstate wars; civil wars; military coups; change of political regimes, etc.

It is also possible to highlight organized and structural mobility.

Organized mobility occurs when the movement of an individual or social group up, down or horizontally is controlled by the state. This process can take place with the consent of the people themselves (for example, public calls for Komsomol construction projects) and without their consent (resettlement of small peoples, dispossession).

Structural mobility It is caused by changes in the structure of the national economy and occurs against the will and consciousness of individual individuals. For example, the disappearance or reduction of industries or professions leads to the displacement of large masses of people employed in them.

During the mobility process, a state may arise marginality. This is a special sociological term for a borderline, transitional, structurally indefinite social state of the subject. People who, for various reasons, fall out of their usual social environment and are unable to join new communities (often due to cultural inconsistencies), who experience great psychological stress and experience a kind of crisis of self-consciousness, are called outcasts. Among marginals there can be ethnomarginals, biomarginals, economic marginals, religious marginals.

The process of migration in society

Migration is the process of changing the permanent place of residence of individuals or social groups, expressed in moving to another region, geographical area or another country.

The migration process is closely related to both horizontal and vertical mobility, since each migrating individual seeks to find better economic, political or social conditions of existence in a new place.

Migration mechanism. In order for people to want to change their habitual place of residence, conditions are necessary that force them to do so. These conditions are usually divided into three main groups:

extrusion

Attraction

Migration paths.

extrusion associated with the difficult conditions of existence of the individual in his native places. The expulsion of large masses of people is associated with serious social upheavals (interethnic conflicts, wars), economic crises, and natural disasters (earthquakes, floods). With individual migration, failure in a career, the death of relatives, and loneliness can serve as a buoyant force.

Attraction- a set of attractive features or conditions for living in other places (higher wages, the opportunity to occupy a higher social status, greater political stability).

Migration paths is a characteristic of the direct movement of a migrant from one geographical location to another. Migration routes include the accessibility of a migrant, his luggage and family to another region; the presence or absence of barriers on the way; information to help overcome financial obstacles.

Distinguish international(moving from one state to another) and internal(moving within one country) migration.

Emigration- traveling outside the country . Immigration- entry into the country.

seasonal migration- depends on the season (tourism, study, agricultural work).

pendulum migration- regular movement from this point and return to it.

Migration is considered normal up to certain limits. In the event that the number of migrants exceeds a certain level, saying that migration becomes redundant. Excessive migration can lead to a change in the demographic composition of the region (departure of young people and the “aging” of the population; the predominance of men or women in the region), to a shortage or excess of labor, to uncontrolled urban growth, etc.

Literature

Volkov Yu.G., Dobrenkov V.I., Nechipurenko V.N., Popov A.V.

Sociology: textbook / ed. prof.

SOUTH. Volkov. – M.: Gardariki, 2007.- Ch. 6.

Kravchenko A.I. Sociology: a textbook for universities. - M., 2003. - Ch. eleven.

Raduev V.V., Shkaratan O.I. Social stratification: a textbook. M., 1996.

Radugin A. A., Radugin K. A. Sociology: a course of lectures. M., 1996. - Topic 8.

Smelzer N. Sociology. M., 1994. - Ch. 9.

Frolov S.S. Sociology: textbook. - M.: Gardariki, 2006. - Ch.17.

Test tasks on the topic "Social mobility"

1. Social mobility is:

1. change by a person of the place of his permanent residence

2. change of value orientations of the individual

3. change in the social status of an individual or group

4. expansion of professional and general cultural horizons

2. The main types of social mobility are:

1. vertical and horizontal

2. intergenerational and intragenerational

3. ascending and descending

4. individual and group

3. Geographic mobility turns into migration when:

1. a person moves from one place to another, while maintaining his social status

2. a person moves from one place to another, while changing his social status

3. person moves from one nationality to another

4. a person temporarily moves from one socio-geographical zone to another

4. An example of downward social mobility can be considered:

1. promotion

2. change of religion

3. dismissal due to redundancy

4. change of profession

5. Social career should be understood as:

1. increasing the social status of representatives of subsequent generations in comparison with the status of the current

2. achievement of a higher social position by an individual compared to parents

3. change by the individual, beyond comparison with the father, several times during the life of their social positions

4. change by the individual of his position in the social and professional structure

An analysis of the causes always entails the question of whether the individual himself can achieve an increase in his own and join the composition of a social stratum located above his own on the scale of wealth and prestige. In modern society, it is generally accepted that the starting opportunities for all people are equal and the individual will certainly succeed if he makes the appropriate efforts and acts purposefully. Often this idea is illustrated by examples of the dizzying careers of millionaires who started from nothing, and shepherdesses who turned into movie stars.

social mobility called the movement of individuals in the system from one layer to another. There are at least two main reasons for the existence of social mobility in society. First, societies change, and social change alters the division of labor, creating new statuses and undermining old ones. Second, although the elite may monopolize educational opportunities, it is unable to control the natural distribution of talent and ability, so the upper strata are inevitably replenished by talented people from the lower strata.

Social mobility comes in many forms:

Vertical mobility- a change in the position of the individual, which causes an increase or decrease in his social status. For example, if an auto mechanic becomes the director of a car service, this is an indication of upward mobility, but if an auto mechanic becomes a scavenger, such a movement will be an indicator of downward mobility;

Horizontal mobility- a change in position that does not lead to an increase or decrease in social status.

For example, if an auto mechanic gets a job as a mechanic, such a shift will mean horizontal mobility;

Intergenerational (intergenerational) mobility- is revealed by comparing the social status of parents and their children at a certain point in the career of both (according to the rank of their profession at approximately the same age). Research shows that a significant portion of the Russian population, perhaps even the majority, moves at least a little up or down in the class hierarchy in every generation;

Intragenerational (intragenerational) mobility- involves comparing the social status of an individual over a long period of time. Research results show that many Russians have changed occupations during their lives. However, mobility in most of them was limited. Short distance travel is the rule, long distance travel is the exception.

For open systems of stratification, vertical mobility is a rather common phenomenon, if we are talking not so much about dizzying jumps from the bottom to the elite, but about moving step by step, for example, the grandfather is a peasant, the father is a rural teacher, the son moves to the city and defends his dissertation. .

Today in Russia, the channels of vertical mobility, with the declared equality of all before all, are limited for many segments of the population, which corresponds to the strong social differentiation of Russian society on economic and social grounds: in the spring of 2006, 16% of Russians assessed their social status in society as good, exactly the same number - as poor, and the remaining 68% - considered it satisfactory. It is not surprising that a survey of young people regarding their main life fears revealed the following (Table 1): what has always and at all times been valued above all else - love and friendship, in the harsh conditions of survival for young Russians, ceases to be a cause for worries or fears (or maybe our young people feel very confident in the personal sphere).

The strong social stratification characteristic of modern Russian society (Fig. 1) reproduces a system of inequality and injustice, in which the opportunities for independent self-realization in life and raising social status are limited for most of the younger generation (Fig. 2).

Rice. 1. Number of different social strata in Russian society, %

From the responses of young people, it becomes clear that young people, highly appreciating the importance of personal qualities, skills, qualifications, clearly understand that in Russia, acquaintances and connections play a very important role when applying for a job. Let us note a positive point: in comparison with the answers of young people to this question in 1997, today's youth are more optimistic and confident in their abilities and the possibility of independent success and mobility compared to young people whose professional development took place in the difficult 1990s.

Rice. 2. What first of all helps to get a good job, according to representatives of different generations of Russians, (no more than 3 answers were allowed): 1 - youth (2007); 2- youth (1997); 3- older generation (2007); 4 - older generation (1997)

In closed systems, social mobility is practically excluded. For example, in caste and class societies, dozens of generations of shoemakers, tanners, merchants, serfs and, at the same time, long genealogical chains of noble families made up the social norm. The monotony of such social reality is evidenced by the street names given in historical sources: tinkers' street, tinkers' street, etc. Craftsmen not only passed on their status and profession from generation to generation, but they all lived side by side.

Channels of social mobility

Societies with an open system of stratification have established channels of social mobility. For example, getting a higher education is the simplest and fairly sure rope, by moving along which a person from an uneducated family can raise his status and get the opportunity to engage in qualified prestigious work. Girls seeking to profitably marry are trying to use another channel of mobility - to increase their status through marriage. Any military man knows that service in remote and dangerous places is a channel of mobility, because it allows you to quickly rise to high ranks.

Closed systems also have their own—very tight—channels of mobility. For example, the fate of Cinderella from the fairy tale by Ch. Perrault, the serf actress Zhemchugova, who became Countess Sheremeteva, suggests that occasionally dizzying jumps were possible due to interclass marriage. Another channel could be a spiritual career: the great philosopher Cardinal Nicholas of Cusa was born into a poor fishing family, but became a monk, received an education and acquired a high social status, joining the upper class. In tsarist Russia, higher education automatically entailed personal nobility.

family capital is an important factor in belonging to the dominant class. It can take various forms: large financial and industrial enterprises, a network of economic ones. political, social and family relations, privileged access to cultural media, etc. It is these three basic elements - a significant economic legacy, a wide range of relationships and significant family support - that ensure the political and economic power of the ruling classes. For example, in France, notes D. Berto, the financial oligarchy - a limited number of families - owns and manages fantastic wealth and has tremendous power in society. These people are connected to each other by money and kinship. Most often, members of the dominant class marry among themselves, study at the same schools or prestigious universities, are members of the administrative boards of enterprises, and so on. They are not only at the head of the economy, but also
hold power. Banking and oligarchy historians point out that for the past 170 years, “in France, money, and therefore real political power, has been in the hands of the same families since the coup d'état that brought Napoleon Bonaparte to power in 1799, coup, which was financed by the founders of the state. To be in the ruling class, it is better to be born in it or to marry a representative of this class.

The specificity and importance of social capital in Russian society are manifested in the analysis of social capital, the adequate and effective use of which is the key to the success of both young people and the whole society.

Comparative analysis of data over the past 10 years on mastering various skills among young people has led to the conclusion that computer literacy has almost doubled, but the elapsed time has had little effect on the increase in the prevalence of driving a car or communicating in foreign languages ​​- important competencies in the modern world. At the same time, the popularity of acquiring the skills to drive a motorcycle or use a weapon has decreased among young people (Fig. 3).

Rice. Fig. 3. Dynamics of the possession of various skills by representatives of Russian youth, %

The confidence of today's youth and their optimism are manifested in the assessment of their life prospects and plans. On the whole, as shown by the results of a 2007 study by the Institute of Sociology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, more than half of young Russians are firmly convinced that they can achieve more than their parents. From fig. Table 4 shows that over the past 10 years, the structure of these assessments has not changed much, and the insignificant dynamics rather reflects a certain increase in optimism. In general, in 2007, 76% (in 1997 - 68%) of Russian youth are sure that they are able to at least reproduce the social status that their parents have, and only a few percent (2%) think that and they can't do it. In addition, the proportion of such young people and girls has halved over the past 10 years (Fig. 4).

Rice. 4. Assessment by young Russians of their life chances, %

In modern Russia, the poor are completely excluded from the spectrum of opportunities to receive a quality education as the basis for further success in life, and the needy and the poor themselves can only rarely pay for their children to attend paid circles or attend paid courses. The main consumers of paid educational services are the prosperous segments of the population. Sometimes in such a situation, the poor themselves are accused of simply not striving to get a quality education and not doing everything possible for this. However, the data of a sociological survey conducted by the Institute of Science of the Russian Academy of Sciences in 2008 refute such assertions. As can be seen from fig. 21.5, the bulk of not only the low-income, but also the poor would like to receive a quality education. But they are much less likely to do so than the prosperous.

Rice. 5. Presence of a mindset for getting a good education in various social strata, % of their working representatives: 1 — already achieved; 2- want, but have not yet achieved; 3 - would like to, but are unlikely to be able to achieve; was not in life plans

The unrealized opportunities, the unachieved goals of many Russians correlate with the feeling of injustice that they experience in relation to everything that happens in modern Russia. This feeling, testifying to the illegitimacy in the eyes of Russians of the world order that has developed in Russia, is experienced today by the overwhelming majority (over 90%) of Russians; while 38% experience it often. Since the role of justice-injustice is very important in Russian culture, these indicators are a very serious “call”. Most of all, representatives of the age groups over 40 years old (over 40%) and rural residents (48%) experience a strong sense of injustice in everything that is happening around.

Thus, the path to the higher spheres of the social hierarchy is not easy. The conjuncture (a situation of crisis or economic growth) and the structure of society have a great influence on social mobility. The answer to questions about mobility is given by the analysis of social organization. In closed societies, social classes are closed to members of other classes; social mobility is impossible in them. In societies like ours, classes are more open, but the social ladder can be raised or lowered.

Some individuals from the popular environment manage to reach the top of the social pyramid even under conditions of a severely limited system of social mobility, since individual factors play their role - will, energy, talent, family environment, luck. However, individuals from the lower classes should exhibit these qualities to a greater extent than individuals from the privileged classes, since the former have less advantages in terms of economic, cultural and social capital initially.

Channels and mechanisms of social mobility

As channels social mobility considers those ways - conventionally they are called "stairs", "elevators" - using which people can move up and down in the social hierarchy. For the most part, such channels at different times were: political authorities and socio-political organizations, economic structures and professional labor organizations (labor collectives, firms with a system of industrial property built into them, corporate institutions, etc.), as well as the army, church, school, family-clan ties (factors of home education, social authority of the family, private property, family support in general acted).

In a traditional society, these channels of social mobility were used very widely. In modern society, the role of some of these structures as channels of social mobility is decreasing (for example, churches, families), but the importance of other channels is increasing, within which new forms of social mobility are being worked out. Therefore, the above list should be specified, highlighting the scope of financial and banking activities, technical creativity, activity in the field of mass media and computer technologies as mobility channels. Let us also single out the effect of a channel that has been stable in different epochs in different countries for raising the status of representatives of certain strata through involvement in shadow or criminal activities. Now this channel is presented both in a developed society (transnational mafia associations in the field of distribution of weapons, drugs, etc.), and in a traditional society (family-clan and gangster groups).

Mechanisms of social mobility

These channels of social mobility (with the exception of the criminal one, which attracts certain socio-psychological types of people), as a rule, are closely intertwined with each other, that is, they act simultaneously, sometimes confronting, sometimes complementing each other. Taken as a whole, the channels of social mobility create a system of institutional and legal requirements, organizational capabilities, specific rules for moving people up or down the social ladder, thus forming complex mechanisms for the social selection of people for certain positions and status roles. The cumulative action of these mechanisms at different stages of a person's life makes it easier for him to maintain ascriptive or achieve a better status, but a positive result in itself does not guarantee - using these mechanisms, a person must make considerable personal efforts to achieve a better one.

In the past, hereditary-class ties remained leading in these mechanisms, which allowed the vast majority of the younger generation to maintain an ascriptive status position. At the same time, the preservation of higher ascriptive statuses was accompanied by the fulfillment of a considerable number of social duties. The transition from one class to another, although difficult, also remained possible. So, in medieval imperial China, in the Russian Empire, a representative of the middle strata (including wealthy peasants, merchants, children of clergymen) could advance in the public service if they had a high level of education.

The learning process, the child's mastery of book wisdom was largely determined by family circumstances. But during study and then in the service, a lot depended on the person himself - he had to demonstrate loyalty to the professional environment, be persistent, quick-witted. In other societies, the role of school and education in changing status was limited; either the army or the religious environment could come to the fore in terms of significance. At the same time, the role of the family, the support of others, and the personal qualities of the person himself remained important.

An illustration of what has been said can be the life path of the Russian reformer MM.Speransky(1772-1839). Coming from the family of a poor rural priest, having been educated at a provincial seminary, he early discovered brilliant abilities for independent thinking, was industrious, well-read, gifted. All this distinguished him from the circle of seminarians, which allowed the church authorities to recommend him for the service of a state nobleman, who needed a secretary for business correspondence. Entering the highest circle of the Russian bureaucracy led Speransky to the broad road of public service.

In the conditions of modern society, the main emphasis in the mechanisms of social mobility is shifted to educational and vocational training, while the role of the individual qualities of a person who seeks to improve his position increases. Let's consider the process of professional selection on the example of scientific and creative activity. For society to recognize a young person as a scientist, it is necessary, although this is not enough, for him to have a diploma of higher education, which allows him to start a scientific career. The professional environment then recognizes his scientific status when the results of his independent work are qualified by colleagues as significant. At the same time, the results of his work will be constantly subjected to captious analysis. He himself must master the art of conducting scientific polemics, finding supporters, and striving for the practical implementation of his discoveries. Job and qualification advancement will help him establish himself in a professional environment in which, in addition to the official status, a circle of friends and like-minded people is a very important prerequisite for the formation of a person as a scientist. But the main factor of recognition is the scientific results recognized by the wide public circles. On this path, the scientist must find supporters in practical areas; he will not be hindered by fame among the general public, achieved through the media. Family members should patiently help in his creative development, not expecting a quick financial return and public recognition. Taken together, all these circumstances constitute the mechanisms social selection in the field of research activities.

Thus, it can be seen that the "sieve" of a person's repeated passage through the mechanisms of social selection was in the past and continues to exist today in any sphere of life, especially toughening in cases where it is a question of the possibility of achieving a relatively high position in society. These selection mechanisms do not guarantee the unmistakable distribution of all people into social strata and positions in accordance with their real abilities. However, taken as a whole, they make it possible to more or less satisfactorily redistribute social energy, avoiding sharp confrontation and balancing the interests of different groups.

Factors of social mobility

If the channels and mechanisms of social mobility are the most stable, massive ways to achieve or lose a new status position, then mobility factors there are general — historical, socio-political, cultural, etc. — prerequisites, specific conditions that stimulate the operation of these mechanisms or limit them. Accounting for various factors makes it possible to more deeply characterize the processes of mobility in a given situation, to determine their nature in various social environments. Sometimes the value of the scale factor leaves an imprint on the place in the social hierarchy of an entire social group. When one speaks of the "military generation", they mean the influence of wartime on the life attitudes and social activity of a certain age cohort.

The quality of social mobility of specific groups and individuals, as a rule, is influenced by many factors of a different nature and scale: economic and sectoral institutions, ethnic or religious environment, place of residence, age and gender of a person changing status, etc. For example, for mobility associated With the marriage of people in modern society, the following trend is characteristic: women are more likely to marry men who have a higher education, professional qualifications, and work in a higher position, while for men this situation is reversed.

Another pattern associated with the correlation between early socialization of people and their subsequent professional activity: people from rural settlements, from a provincial, poorly differentiated environment, demonstrate on average a lower rate of social advancement and narrower opportunities to vary the areas of application of their labor than people from urban settlements. , from urban centers.

social mobility is an opportunity to change social stratum.

social mobility- change by an individual or group of the place occupied in the social structure (social position), moving from one social stratum (class, group) to another (vertical mobility) or within the same social stratum (horizontal mobility)

Kinds:

Under the vertical social Mobility refers to those relationships that arise when an individual or a social object moves from one social stratum to another.

Horizontal mobility- this is the transition of an individual or a social object from one social position to another, lying on the same level, for example, the transition of an individual from one family to another, from one religious group to another, as well as a change of residence

Upward mobility- social uplift, upward movement (For example: promotion).

Downward mobility- social descent, downward movement (For example: demotion).

Individual mobility- this is when there is a movement down, up or horizontally in an individual independently of others.

group mobility- a process in which movements occur collectively. “It occurs there and then, where and when the social significance of an entire class, estate, caste, rank, category rises or falls”

Structural social mobility- a change in the social position of a significant number of people, mostly due to changes in society itself, and not individual efforts. It is caused by changes in the structure of the national economy and occurs against the will and consciousness of individual individuals.

Voluntary mobility it is mobility of one's own free will, and forced due to forced circumstances.

Intergenerational mobility assumes that children achieve a higher social position or descend to a lower rung than their parents

Intragenerational mobility- change in the social position of the individual throughout his life. (Social career)

Channels of social mobility there are ways called "stairs", "elevators", allowing people to move up and down the social hierarchy. " social lift- this is a way to give rise and help in occupying a more pleasant position in society.

For Pitirim Sorokin, such channels as the army, church, school, political, economic and professional organizations were of particular interest.

Army. Involved as a vertical circulation channel in wartime most of all. Large losses among the commanding staff make it possible for lower ranks to climb up the career ladder. lead to the filling of vacancies from lower ranks.

Church . It is the second channel, among the main ones. But at the same time, “the church performs this function only when its social significance increases. During periods of decline or at the beginning of the existence of a particular denomination, its role as a channel of social stratification is insignificant and insignificant” 1 .

School . “Institutions of education and upbringing, no matter what specific form they take, in all ages have been the means of vertical social circulation. In societies where schools are available to all its members, the school system is a "social elevator" moving from the very bottom of society to the very top" 2 .

Government groups, political organizations and political parties as channels of vertical circulation. In many countries there is an automatic promotion of officials over time, regardless of what position the person entered.

Professional organization how channel vertical circulation . Some of the organizations play a large role in the vertical movement of individuals. Such organizations are: scientific, literary, creative institutes. "Entrance to these organizations was relatively free for everyone who showed appropriate abilities, regardless of their social status, then promotion within such institutions was accompanied by a general advancement along the social ladder" 3 .

Wealth Creation Organizations as Channels of Social Circulation. The accumulation of wealth at all times led to the social advancement of people. Throughout history, there has been a close relationship between wealth and nobility. Forms of "enriched" organizations can be: land ownership, oil production, banditry, mining, etc.

Family and other channels of social circulation . Marriage (especially between representatives of different social statuses) can lead one of the partners to social advancement, or to social degradation. In democratic societies, we can observe how rich brides marry poor but titled grooms, thus one moves up the social ladder thanks to the title, and the other is a material reinforcement of his titled status.

Task 2

Charles Ogier de Batz de Castelmore, Count d'Artagnan (fr. Charles Ogier de Batz de Castelmore, comte d "Artagnan, 1611, Castelmore Castle, Gascony, France, - June 25, 1673, Maastricht, the Netherlands) - a Gascon nobleman who made a brilliant career under Louis XIV in the company of the royal musketeers.

1. Type of social mobility:

vertical mobility. Rising. Individual. Voluntary. (D'Artagnan made a career as a courier for Cardinal Mazarin in the years after the first Fronde => lieutenant of the French guard (1652) => captain (1655) => second lieutenant (i.e. deputy actual commander) in the recreated company of the royal musketeers (1658) = > lieutenant commander of the musketeers (1667) => position of governor of Lille (1667) => field marshal (major general) (1672).

horizontal mobility. Charles de Batz moved to Paris in the 1630s from Gascony.

2. Channel of social mobility - army

Factors that caused social mobility: personal qualities (high level of motivation, initiative, sociability), physical and mental abilities, migration process (moving to a large city), demographic factors (male gender, age of entry into service), social status of the family (D 'Artagnan was a descendant of counts on the maternal side, his father had a title of nobility, which he appropriated after marriage)

3. Charles de Batz achieved a new social status, a high standard of living

4. There was no cultural barrier, D-Artagnan was easily accepted into the new society, he was close to the king, respected both at court and in the army.

Louis XIV: "almost the only person who managed to make people love themselves without doing anything for them that would oblige them to do so"

1Sorokin P.A. Man. Civilization. Society. – M.: Politizdat, 1992.

2Sorokin P.A. Man. Civilization. Society. – M.: Politizdat, 1992.

3Sorokin P.A. Man. Civilization. Society. – M.: Politizdat, 1992.

Social mobility types and examples

The concept of social mobility

The concept of "social mobility" was introduced into scientific use by Pitirim Sorokin. These are various movements of people in society. Each person at birth occupies a certain position and is built into the system of stratification of society.

An individual's position at birth is not fixed, and it may change throughout the course of life. It can go up or down.

Types of social mobility

There are various types of social mobility. Usually there are:

• intergenerational and intragenerational;
• vertical and horizontal;
• organized and structured.

Intergenerational mobility means that children change their social position and become different from their parents. So, for example, the daughter of a seamstress becomes a teacher, that is, she raises her status in society. Or, for example, the son of an engineer becomes a janitor, that is, his social status goes down.

Intragenerational mobility means that the status of an individual can change throughout his life. An ordinary worker can become a manager at an enterprise, a director of a factory, and then a head of a complex of enterprises.

Vertical mobility means that the movement of a person or group of people within society changes the social status of this person or group. This type of mobility is stimulated through various reward systems (respect, income, prestige, benefits). Vertical mobility has different characteristics. one of them is intensity, that is, it determines how many strata an individual passes on his way up.

If the society is socially disorganized, then the intensity indicator becomes higher. Such an indicator as universality determines the number of people who have changed their position vertically in a certain period of time. Depending on the type of vertical mobility, two types of society are distinguished. It is closed and open.

In a closed society, moving up the social ladder is very difficult for certain categories of people. For example, these are societies in which there are castes, estates, and also a society in which there are slaves. There were many such communities in the Middle Ages.

In an open society everyone has equal opportunities. These societies include democratic states. Pitirim Sorokin argues that there are no and never have been societies in which the possibilities for vertical mobility would be absolutely closed. At the same time, there have never been communities in which vertical movements would be absolutely free. Vertical mobility can be either upward (in which case it is voluntary) or downward (in which case it is forced).

Horizontal mobility assumes that an individual moves from one group to another without changing social status. For example, it could be a change in religion. That is, an individual can convert from Orthodoxy to Catholicism. He can also change citizenship, can create his own family and leave his parent, can change his profession. At the same time, the status of the individual does not change. If there is a move from one country to another, then such mobility is called geographical. Migration is a type of geographic mobility in which the status of an individual changes after moving. Migration can be labor and political, internal and international, legal and illegal.

Organized mobility It is a state dependent process. It directs the movement of groups of people down, up or in a horizontal direction. This can happen both with the consent of these people, and without it.

Structural mobility caused by changes that occur in the structure of society. Social mobility can be group and individual. Group mobility implies that whole groups move. Group mobility is influenced by the following factors:

• uprisings;
• wars;
• replacement of the constitution;
• the invasion of foreign troops;
• change in the political regime.
• Individual social mobility depends on such factors:
• the level of education of the citizen;
• nationality;
• place of residence;
• the quality of education;
• the status of his family;
• whether the citizen is married.
• Of great importance for any kind of mobility are age, sex, birth and death rates.

Social mobility examples

Examples of social mobility can be found in our lives in large numbers. So, Pavel Durov, who was originally a simple student of the Faculty of Philology, can be considered a model for increasing growth in society. But in 2006, he was told about Facebook, and then he decided that he would create a similar network in Russia. At first, it was called "Student.ru", but then it was called Vkontakte. Now it has more than 70 million users, and Pavel Durov owns a fortune of more than $ 260 million.

Social mobility often develops within subsystems. So, schools and universities are such subsystems. A student at a university must master the curriculum. If he successfully passes the exams, he will move on to the next course, receive a diploma, become a specialist, that is, he will receive a higher position. Expulsion from a university for poor performance is an example of downward social mobility.

An example of social mobility is the following situation: a person who received an inheritance, got rich, and moved to a more prosperous layer of people. Examples of social mobility include the promotion of a school teacher to a director, the promotion of an associate professor of a department to a professor, the relocation of an employee of an enterprise to another city.

Vertical social mobility

Vertical mobility has been the subject of the most research. The defining concept is the mobility distance. It measures how many steps an individual goes through as he advances in society. He can walk one or two steps, he can suddenly fly up to the very top of the stairs or fall to its base (the last two options are quite rare). The amount of mobility is important. It determines how many individuals have moved up or down with the help of vertical mobility in a certain period of time.

Channels of social mobility

There are no absolute boundaries between social strata in society. Representatives of some layers can make their way into other layers. Movement occurs with the help of social institutions. In wartime, the army acts as a social institution, which elevates talented soldiers and gives them new ranks in the event that the former commanders have died. Another powerful channel of social mobility is the church, which at all times has found loyal representatives in the lower classes of society and elevated them.

Also, the institution of education, as well as family and marriage, can be considered channels of social mobility. If representatives of different social strata entered into marriage, then one of them went up the social ladder, or went down. For example, in ancient Roman society, a free man who married a slave could make her free. In the process of creating new strata of society - strata - groups of people appear who do not have generally accepted statuses, or have lost them. They are called marginals. Such people are characterized by the fact that it is difficult and uncomfortable for them in their current status, they experience psychological stress. For example, this is an employee of an enterprise who became homeless and lost his home.

There are such types of marginals:

• ethnomarginals - people who appeared as a result of mixed marriages;
• biomarginals, whose health society has ceased to care about;
• political outcasts who cannot come to terms with the existing political order;
• religious outcasts - people who do not consider themselves to be a generally accepted confession;
• criminal outcasts - people who violate the Criminal Code.

Social mobility in society

Social mobility may differ depending on the type of society. If we consider Soviet society, it was divided into economic classes. These were the nomenklatura, the bureaucracy and the proletariat. The mechanisms of social mobility were then regulated by the state. Employees of regional organizations were often appointed by party committees. The rapid movement of people took place with the help of repressions and the construction of communism (for example, BAM and virgin lands). Western societies have a different structure of social mobility.

The main mechanism of social movement there is competition. Because of it, some go bankrupt, while others receive high profits. If this is a political sphere, then the main mechanism of movement there is elections. In any society there are mechanisms that make it possible to mitigate the sharp downward transition of individuals and groups. These are different forms of social assistance. On the other hand, representatives of the higher strata strive to consolidate their high status and prevent representatives of the lower strata from penetrating into the higher strata. In many ways, social mobility depends on what kind of society. It can be open and closed.

An open society is characterized by the fact that the division into social classes is conditional, and it is quite easy to move from one class to another. To achieve a higher position in the social hierarchy, a person needs to fight. People have a motivation to work constantly, because hard work leads to an increase in their social position and well-being. Therefore, people of the lower class strive to constantly break through to the top, and representatives of the upper class want to maintain their position. Unlike an open society, a closed social society has very clear boundaries between classes.

The social structure of society is such that the promotion of people between classes is almost impossible. In such a system, hard work does not matter, and the talents of a member of the lower caste do not matter either. Such a system is supported by an authoritarian ruling structure. If the rule weakens, then it becomes possible to change the boundaries between the strata. The most outstanding example of a closed caste society can be considered India, in which the Brahmins, the highest caste, have the highest status. The lowest caste are the sudras, the garbage collectors. Over time, the absence of significant changes in society leads to the degeneration of this society.

Social stratification and mobility

Social stratification divides people into classes. The following classes began to appear in post-Soviet society: new Russians, entrepreneurs, workers, peasants, and the ruling stratum. Social strata in all societies have common features. Thus, people of mental labor occupy a higher position than just workers and peasants. As a rule, there are no impenetrable boundaries between strata, while the complete absence of boundaries is impossible.

Recently, social stratification in Western society has been undergoing significant changes due to the invasion of Western countries by representatives of the Eastern world (Arabs). Initially, they come as a labor force, that is, they perform low-skilled work. But these representatives bring their culture and their customs, often different from Western ones. Often, entire neighborhoods in the cities of Western countries live according to the laws of Islamic culture.

It must be said that social mobility in conditions of social crisis differs from social mobility in conditions of stability. War, revolution, prolonged economic conflicts lead to changes in the channels of social mobility, often to mass impoverishment and an increase in morbidity. Under these conditions, stratification processes can differ significantly. So, representatives of criminal structures can make their way into the ruling circles.

Horizontal and vertical are categories related to the variability and stratification of societies. In the environment of any social group or a vast social organism, quantitative and qualitative changes occur, as a result of which the character of

of this organism, new social classes appear and disappear in various sections: national, subcultural, property, and so on. Examples of vertical social mobility are the best practical confirmation of this. Such a dynamic society will necessarily be accompanied by permanent status of specific individuals. In fact, these transformations are examples of vertical social mobility. Less often - horizontal, since it is not always accompanied by a change in social position.

Types of social mobility

As the main variants of this process, modern scientists distinguish two

the following types.

horizontal mobility. Examples

In this case, the transition of a person from one social group to another, but equal in status to the previous one, is implied. The most banal examples may be moving to a new place of residence, switching to an alternative job or position, approximately equal to the previous one in terms of prestige and income. Migrants are another special case of this form, since when they move to a new country for themselves, they turn from into foreigners for society. By the way, horizontal mobility can sometimes give rise to examples of vertical social mobility. As often happens in the situation with the same migrants.

Vertical social mobility. Examples

Here everything is quite clear on an intuitive level. This is a decrease or increase in personal status in a particular social group or society as a whole. Examples of vertical social mobility: increasing material income (or vice versa - reducing or even ruining), moving up or down the career ladder, gaining wide-ranging popularity, which comes to musicians, artists, athletes, and so on (or, which is also not rarity, oblivion).

elevators

Social mobility as a phenomenon provides for the presence in society of mechanisms that ensure its very existence. These mechanisms

scientists called social elevators. These may be: army, school, church, political parties, family, government groups, service bodies, and so on.

Degree of social mobility

An important point is also the fact that the ability of an individual to change his status throughout life can differ dramatically in different social systems. The so-called are characterized by an extreme degree of traditionality and taboo. Here, social status is often not only inherited, but its preservation is also ensured by a whole system and rules, the violation of which can be punished by punishments ranging from public censure to legal liability.