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Social Mobility and Higher Education

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Encyclopedia of International Higher Education Systems and Institutions

Synonyms

Absolute mobility; Relative mobility; Social fluidity; Social openness

Definition

The impact of participation in tertiary-level education on the movement of individuals up or down the social class structure from one generation to the next (intergenerational mobility) or during the course of a career (intragenerational mobility).

Social mobility refers to the movement of individuals between different positions in the social structure over time. Closed societies are characterized by ascription, whereby social position is assigned early in life and is difficult to change. Contemporary notions of the good society instead emphasize openness and a shift from ascription to attainment, whereby social position is not determined by inheritance but rather by ability, effort, and disposition. Within sociology, studies of social mobility focus on the association between parental and filial social position across generations, typically employing occupational social class as the key measure.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Applied Social Sciences, Durham University, 32 Old Elvet, DH1 3HN, Durham, UK

    Vikki Boliver

  2. Department of Education, University of York, YO10 5DD, York, UK

    Paul Wakeling

Authors
  1. Vikki Boliver
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  2. Paul Wakeling
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Vikki Boliver .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Education, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea (Republic of)

    Jung Cheol Shin

  2. CIPES, Faculty of Economics, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal

    Pedro Teixeira

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Boliver, V., Wakeling, P. (2016). Social Mobility and Higher Education. In: Shin, J., Teixeira, P. (eds) Encyclopedia of International Higher Education Systems and Institutions. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-9553-1_43-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-9553-1_43-1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-94-017-9553-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-94-017-9553-1

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference EducationReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Education

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