Sociology Plus
Downward Social Mobility Definition
Downward social mobility is the movement of an individual or group from a superordinate position to a lower position in society. It is the descending counterpart of upward mobility within the broader study of social mobility, and may be observed within a single lifetime (intragenerational mobility) or between parents and children (intergenerational mobility).
Causes
The causes of downward mobility are many. Poor health is perhaps the major one: illness or disability can end careers, reduce earning power, and push individuals and their families down the social scale. Economic misfortune matters too — bad investments or a harsh business environment can lead to bankruptcy and a sharp fall in social position. Other routes include redundancy in declining industries, divorce and family breakdown, and the loss of skills or qualifications that the labor market once rewarded. Downward mobility can thus result from personal contingencies, from structural economic change, or from some combination of the two.
Structural Trends
The amount of downward mobility in a society is variable, shaped by the changing shape of its occupational structure. Since World War II, changes in that structure — especially the shrinkage of working-class jobs and the corresponding expansion of white-collar and professional positions — have reduced the opportunities for downward movement: with more “room at the top” and less at the bottom, the dominant flow of mobility has been upward. Sociologists note that this pattern reflects structural mobility rather than any increase in the openness of society as such. Downward mobility nonetheless remains sociologically significant, not least because its experience — the loss of status, income, and identity — can be acutely painful, and fear of it is a powerful force shaping middle-class strategies around education, inheritance, and the transmission of advantage to children.