Some say that the United States is a classless society, and that we have more freedom for upward mobility than anywhere else. On the other hand, there are many who argue that the United States is actually the most economically stratified society in the developed world, and that social mobility is almost nonexistent. The reality, of course, is somewhere in between these extremes.
The truth is that social mobility in the United States is not particularly high. It also has a high level of both absolute and relative income inequality – while the United States is a very heterogeneous society, it is also a very unequal society. Social mobility is an important factor in the creation of a vibrant society, and it is a critical factor in the creation of a healthy economy.
Economic Mobility
There are several different types of social mobility. Economic mobility refers to the ability of citizens to move up and down the economic ladder. Some people start out in the lowest economic classes, and they eventually end up in the highest economic classes. Others start out in the lowest economic classes, and they remain in the lowest economic classes. Still others start out in the lower classes, and they end up in the middle class or in the upper-middle class. The movement of individuals up and down the economic ladder is a measure of economic mobility. It is also an important indicator of the overall health of the economy.
There is a popular perception that the United States is the land of economic opportunity, and that the United States has the most economic mobility in the world. The data, however, tell us that there are several European countries that have more economic mobility than the United States. In a study of social mobility in major developed nations, researchers found that the United States was tied with France and Belgium for the second-lowest level of social mobility in the developed world.
The United States is not a particularly mobile society. In the United States, about half of the people from the lowest economic class remain in the lowest economic class for life. Only 9% of U.S. citizens born into the lowest class end up in the highest class. In the United Kingdom, by comparison, about one-third of those born into the lowest economic class move up to the highest economic class.
One of the biggest contributors to social mobility is education. Studies consistently show that educational attainment is highly correlated with both eventual income and social class, and that improving access to education, particularly among the economically disadvantaged, is a powerful tool for improving mobility.
As a personal anecdote, I grew up in the Corn Belt. When I was young, my brother and I would play each afternoon in the old barn, and we’d come into the house in the evening covered in brown dust. I remember fighting with Mom over whether or not I needed to bathe before bed. Eventually, my family rebuilt the barn, put in a beautiful farmhouse kitchen sink, and my brother and I grew older and more responsible. He left to go to work in England and I moved to New York to study political science. The rest of my family, however, are still in Indiana. When I went back home two summers ago, it was clear that our lives have become very different.
Are my brother and I, having moved to big cities to earn college degrees, the exception that proves the rule? Not really. We did not grow up in poverty. Mom worked here in New York for several years before she met Dad. The reason my brother and I were able to study at good colleges was precisely because we were economically able to.
How Can We Improve Social Mobility?
Lack of social mobility is clearly becoming a bigger and bigger problem, and it is something that’s not easily solved. It must be tackled with bipartisan policy solutions that span decades.
For example, one of the best ways to improve social mobility is to improve the quality of primary and secondary education. When children are young, they develop social networks, and they develop a sense of the world around them. When children get a good education, when they are introduced to different people, and when they are allowed to develop a sense of what their own interests are, they have a much better chance of moving up the social ladder as adults.
Another way to increase social mobility is to increase the availability of job training programs. In the United States, there are several vocational training programs, but the vast majority of qualified participants are not accepted into the programs. The people who are accepted into these programs are usually people who are already working in the industries that the programs train people for. This perpetuates the cycle of poverty, and it limits the opportunities of lower-class Americans.
Conclusion
Social mobility is an important factor in the creation of a vibrant society. It is also an important factor in the creation of a healthy economy. The United States, once a champion of equal opportunity and classlessness, is not a particularly mobile society anymore. Social mobility can be improved, but it will take bipartisan support for deep structural changes to our economy and society.