According to Britannica Online Encyclopedia social mobility is the movement of individuals, families, or groups through a system of social hierarchy or stratification. It is a change in the social status relative to others social location within a given society. There are different types of social mobility, these include: horizontal, vertical, upward and downward mobility. Within the Caribbean however, upward mobility is considered to be pivotal. Openness of the society is a factor that greatly influences social mobility. Open society is one where people attain their status mainly by their own efforts. In today’s society however there are numerous barriers such as lack of proper education, racial and economic segregation and family structure
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Low income families hold two major beliefs 1) That their position in society is a result of a combination of inadequate talent and flawed values. 2) That the individuals themselves have primary responsibility for changing their condition. (Biblarz and Raftery, 1993) discovered that family structure had two effects on a child occupational outcome. 1) Those that didn’t have both parents present throughout their childhood had a significantly lower socioeconomic attainment than children who did. 2) The strength of the association between socioeconomic origins and destination were dependent on family structure. This correlation between family structure and social mobility is due to the fact that family structure with two parents present will have a higher average income in comparison to a single parent family structure.( Kearny and Levine, 2014). In the US it is seen that children raised in communities with high percentage of single mothers are significantly less likely to experience absolute and relative mobility. It has been proven that kids are more likely to climb the income ladder when they are raised by two, married parents. (Wilcox, 2014). This barrier is most evident within the Caribbean, where the dominant family structure is single parenting. The low income level presented in these households prevents children from obtaining the necessary education to move up the social
Low income families hold two major beliefs 1) That their position in society is a result of a combination of inadequate talent and flawed values. 2) That the individuals themselves have primary responsibility for changing their condition. (Biblarz and Raftery, 1993) discovered that family structure had two effects on a child occupational outcome. 1) Those that didn’t have both parents present throughout their childhood had a significantly lower socioeconomic attainment than children who did. 2) The strength of the association between socioeconomic origins and destination were dependent on family structure. This correlation between family structure and social mobility is due to the fact that family structure with two parents present will have a higher average income in comparison to a single parent family structure.( Kearny and Levine, 2014). In the US it is seen that children raised in communities with high percentage of single mothers are significantly less likely to experience absolute and relative mobility. It has been proven that kids are more likely to climb the income ladder when they are raised by two, married parents. (Wilcox, 2014). This barrier is most evident within the Caribbean, where the dominant family structure is single parenting. The low income level presented in these households prevents children from obtaining the necessary education to move up the social