Social Mobility In US Essay Research Paper

Social Mobility In U.S.. Essay, Research Paper

Social Mobility in the United States.

Abstract:

The focus of this paper will be social mobility in America. My expected findings were that upward social mobility is declining in America, social mobility depends on race, income, mother and father occupation, and ethnicity. The method of research that I used was literature review. I found that 1) upward social mobility is more likely for a white individual than a black individual 2) upward social mobility among the lower classes is decreasing and downward social mobility is increasing 3) upward social mobility does increase the higher the person starts on the social ladder.

Statement of the Issue:

The United States of America is a country that takes pride in having a thing called .equal opportunity. for all. America is a place where one can supposedly be successful if he or she works hard. Is this the reality of our society or just a myth. If the idea of equal opportunity were a reality in America, social mobility would be a very common thing. Poverty would only be temporary for the ones who willing to work hard. It wouldn.t have to mean that America would be a classless society, just one in which people moved up and down the social ladder. The question of social mobility and the truth to the idea of equal opportunity has been argued for many years in America. We have yet to come to a consensus. If it is true that equal opportunity doesn.t exist in American than the idea of the .American Dream. would be false. Everything that America is about and stands for would have to be questioned and reexamined.

Social policies in America have often been shaped by different ideas concerning this issue. Politicians who favor the idea that equal opportunity does exist often enact policies that take away public assistance to impoverished people in America. They believe that since America provides equal opportunity there is no reason to give assistance to poor people. The idea here is that people are poor because they aren.t working to improve their life conditions. On the other hand politicians who question the existence of equal opportunity for all often favor legislation to increase public assistance to the needy. They believe that the poverty that exists in society is due to social inequalities rather than flaws in the individuals themselves. A person.s view on this issue depends mainly on her or his perception of social mobility.

In order to understand this issue we must examine what actually takes place in America. Is poverty a permanent condition that can rarely be changed or is it only temporary. Does everyone have equal access to improve his or her life condition. How common is social mobility and in what classes is it most common. These are questions that must be addressed when examining the truth or the myth of social mobility in America.

Focus of Paper:

The focus of this paper is to examine social mobility and the factors that contribute to the likelihood of it. The factors that will be examined are race, family, income, mother and father occupation, and a few others.

Hypotheses:

· Upward social mobility is more likely for a white individual than a black individual.

· The higher the income of a family the more of a chance of social mobility for the children of the family.

· The frequency of downward social mobility is increasing and the frequency of upward mobility (from the lower classes) is decreasing.

Rationale:

White individuals in our society have an obvious advantage over most minority individuals when it comes to being upwardly mobile in society. Specifically white individuals fair much than black individuals regarding this issue. Discrimination in the United States still exists and probably will for a very long time. This is a factor that holds back a lot of blacks and other minority groups. Also because blacks and other minorities are disproportionately represented in the lower class, many of them lack the education and job training that a socially mobile person needs. Because blacks in America have to overcome many different social barriers in order to be successful, they are less likely to be upwardly mobile when compared to whites.

It is my perception that the higher the individual starts on the social ladder the more likely the individual will end up higher than where she or he first started. The opportunities you are given in life depend mainly on your class. The more money your parents have the more opportunities you have. Sadly enough often times the quality of education a person receives in our society depends almost solely on how much money the parents have; and we all know education is the key to upward social mobility. If we actually had equal opportunity in America wouldn.t that have to mean that we all had equal assess to education. Well we don.t.

It is a fact that the middle class in America is in fact shrinking. While more and more people are making it to the top, the same is true for the bottom. It is my perception that in fact more people are falling out than climbing up. However I don.t have any statistics to prove that at this time, I hope to accomplish that in my research.

Methodology:

The method of research used in this paper is literature search and review. I will review five journal art

Внимание, отключите Adblock

Вы посетили наш сайт со включенным блокировщиком рекламы!
Ссылка для скачивания станет доступной сразу после отключения Adblock!

Скачать