Types of Social Mobility
Social mobility is the movement of individuals or groups from one social position to another. Pitirim Sorokin in Social Mobility (1927) was the first to systematically classify types of mobility. Later thinkers such as Blau & Duncan, Lipset & Bendix, and Parsons refined its meaning in industrial societies.
Upward / Downward
Shift within same level
Between generations
Within one lifetime
Systemic changes
Zero-sum mobility
1️⃣ Vertical Mobility
Movement of individuals or groups between different hierarchical levels — upward or downward — within the social stratification system.
Forms
- Upward Mobility: Improvement in occupation, income, or prestige (e.g., from farmer to engineer).
- Downward Mobility: Loss of position or prestige (e.g., from manager to clerk).
Key Thinkers
- Sorokin: Classified mobility into vertical and horizontal; saw it as both a personal and social phenomenon.
- Blau & Duncan: Their Status Attainment Model (1967) quantified vertical mobility using education and father’s occupation as variables.
- Peter Blau: Found upward mobility linked to industrialization and meritocratic education.
2️⃣ Horizontal Mobility
Refers to movement from one position to another of equal prestige and status. It involves a change in occupation or location without altering class position.
- Example: A teacher moving from one school to another, or a soldier joining a different regiment.
- Maintains social stability, unlike vertical mobility which disrupts hierarchies.
Thinkers
- Parsons: Saw horizontal mobility as a sign of social differentiation rather than inequality.
- Sorokin: Treated horizontal mobility as essential to modernization and occupational diversification.
3️⃣ Intergenerational Mobility
Movement in social status between parents and their children. It shows the long-term openness of society.
Empirical Studies
- Blau & Duncan: U.S. data revealed moderate intergenerational mobility — father’s occupation strongly influences son’s but education moderates the effect.
- Goldthorpe (1972): British “class mobility” studies showed relative rather than absolute mobility — class background still mattered.
- Lipset & Bendix: Industrial societies show increasing openness with modernization but persistent structural limits.
4️⃣ Intragenerational Mobility
Change in an individual’s social position during their own lifetime. It reflects career mobility and professional progress.
- Example: A factory worker rising to become a supervisor or manager.
- Blau & Duncan: Included it in their model through “career ladder effects.”
- Talcott Parsons: Linked it to achievement orientation and universalistic values in modern society.
5️⃣ Structural Mobility
Occurs when large-scale social or economic changes create new opportunities and redistribute positions — affecting groups rather than individuals.
Thinkers
- Sorokin: Called it “aggregate mobility” caused by structural transformation.
- Lipset & Bendix: Industrial revolution and technological growth created new occupations, enabling entire groups to move upward.
- Blau & Duncan: Education system institutionalizes structural mobility through credentialism.
Indian Context
- M. N. Srinivas — Sanskritization: Cultural route to mobility.
- Yogendra Singh: Structural changes through modernization, urbanization, and democratization enhanced collective mobility.
6️⃣ Exchange Mobility
In exchange mobility, the total distribution of positions remains constant — movement of some individuals up the hierarchy is offset by others moving down. It reflects a zero-sum pattern of mobility.
Key Thinkers
- Peter Blau and Otis Dudley Duncan: Used the term to explain movement in stable industrial structures.
- David Glass (1954): In Social Mobility in Britain, observed limited exchange mobility despite education expansion.
7️⃣ Comparative Table — Types of Mobility
| Type | Definition | Key Thinkers | Illustration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vertical | Upward or downward movement in hierarchy | Sorokin, Blau & Duncan | Worker → Supervisor |
| Horizontal | Shift within same level | Parsons, Sorokin | Teacher → Administrator |
| Intergenerational | Between parent & child generations | Blau & Duncan, Goldthorpe | Farmer’s son → Engineer |
| Intragenerational | Within individual’s lifetime | Parsons, Blau | Typist → Manager |
| Structural | Due to societal change | Lipset & Bendix, Srinivas | Industrialization creating new jobs |
| Exchange | Equal upward & downward movement | Blau & Duncan, Glass | Promotion–demotion balance |
UPSC Summary Pointers
- Sorokin’s classic typology forms the foundation — vertical vs horizontal, intra- vs inter-generational.
- Blau & Duncan empirically modeled the process via education and occupation.
- Parsons linked mobility to modernization and universalism of values.
- Indian scholars — Srinivas (cultural mobility), Béteille (structural limits), Yogendra Singh (modernization and partial openness).
- Always distinguish between individual (vertical/intra) and collective (structural) mobility in answers.
