Social Mobility : Concept , Definition and various types of social mobility.
What is social mobility? Discuss the various types of social mobility.
.png)
Concept of Social Mobility:-
The concept of social stratification is closely related to the concept of social mobility. Individuals in society are positioned at different levels of society - judging by their social status and role. But that position does not last forever. Based on an individual's own desire and acquired merit, he is able to change his level. This level change is difficult or easy depending on the society.
Generally speaking, in closed societies or in societies with caste stratification the scope for this occurrence is very low. On the other hand, in a class-based free society, this happens to a much greater extent. If the picture of social hierarchy can be visualized as a ladder, then it can be seen that the members of the society are located on different steps of that ladder and sometimes they change those steps.
Social mobility is the process of moving up and down the different rungs of the social ladder. Social mobility is the movement of an individual or group from one level of hierarchy to another. As a result of this change, a person's status, role, lifestyle - etc. changes. In other words, social mobility is the movement of individuals or groups from one social status to another.
Definition of Social Mobility :-
Social mobility is a very common phenomenon in modern society. Because no person wants to sit in the same status forever. Following are the opinions of sociologists regarding the definition of social mobility -
Professor C.N. Sankar Rao says, there are constant ups and downs in the status of people in the society. This dynamic ups and downs is social mobility.
According to Dressler, social mobility refers to the movement of individuals from one level to another.
According to Sorokin, the change of a social status or cultural value of an individual or group from one limit to another through ritual is called social mobility.
Key indicators of social mobility are – vocational change, income change, role change, lifestyle change, status change – etc.
Various Types of social mobility:-
Social mobility is of two types. Namely -
1. Vertical mobility and
2. Horizontal mobility.
Vertical mobility can again be divided into two categories –
(a) upward vertical mobility and
(b) downward vertical mobility.
1. Vertical Social Mobility:-
Social mobility in which an individual or group moves from one rung of the social ladder to another and its social status changes - is called vertical mobility. For example, a poor person suddenly became a rich person; Or a worker became a bank clerk on his own merit. In these two examples, the individual's social status changes.
Vertical mobility is of two types. Namely :- (a) Upward vertical mobility. (b) Downward vertical mobility. In this context, sociologist Mariel said in his book Society and culture, vertical mobility refers to moving to a higher or lower position in the hierarchy. Dressler also defines vertical mobility as both upward and downward in this type of social mobility. Social mobility basically refers to vertical mobility. It is the upward or downward mobility of the social order.
(a) Upward vertical mobility:-
In upward vertical mobility the individual's social status improves and the individual moves from a lower to a higher level. For example, a cobbler's son becomes a doctor or an engineer on his own merit. In that case, the social status of that person flows upwards and his status increases.
(b) Downward vertical mobility:-
On the other hand, in the case of downward vertical mobility, the individual gets a lower social status or slips from a higher level to a lower level. In this case it can be said as an example, the son of a landowner became landless for some reason and took up the profession of a clerk. In this case the person will descend in the social ladder.
2. Horizontal Social Mobility :-
Horizontal social mobility refers to the movement of a person's social status within the same social stratum. But in this case generally the social status of the person does not vary. For example, a teacher leaves one school and joins another school. In that case, there will be no change in his income, social status etc.
.png)
.png)
.png)
.png)
.png)
.png)
.png)
