How does my life differ from my parents and grandparents? While there are many significant variations in my life and parent’s life such as access to technology, one key factor in learning about these differences involves a sociological term that Max Weber called life chances (Schaefer 2015). Life chances are the “opportunities that people provide themselves with material goods, positive living conditions, and favorable life experiences” (Schaefer 2015:194). Life chances are determined by housing, education, and health with social class greatly influences one’s life chances (Schaefer 2015:194). For example, a person in a higher social class will have access to greater social benefits than someone in a lower social class. Additionally, social
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During my interview with them, I asked my grandparents for details about their occupations, education level, social class, and occupations of their parents. Byron, my grandpa, explained that he had more than one primary occupation such as being a farmer, auctioneer, and bus driver. While working in these occupations, my grandpa had a high school diploma and another diploma from a trade school. Byron would also say that he was raised in a lower middle class family, and his parents worked as farmers and animal trainers. Interestingly, because my grandpa had access to more material possessions than other people in his neighborhood due to higher social class, he was one of the first people in his neighborhood to acquire a television capable of showing images in …show more content…
Because both of my grandparents’ occupations were basically the same as their parents, I would say my grandparents experienced relatively little intergenerational social mobility. Intergenerational social mobility refers to the “change in the social position of children relative to their parents” (Schaefer 2015:195). Although there were variations in occupations from my grandparents and great-grandparents, there was little change in the social position among my grandparents and great-grandparents, since farming was a significant occupation in both of those
During my interview with them, I asked my grandparents for details about their occupations, education level, social class, and occupations of their parents. Byron, my grandpa, explained that he had more than one primary occupation such as being a farmer, auctioneer, and bus driver. While working in these occupations, my grandpa had a high school diploma and another diploma from a trade school. Byron would also say that he was raised in a lower middle class family, and his parents worked as farmers and animal trainers. Interestingly, because my grandpa had access to more material possessions than other people in his neighborhood due to higher social class, he was one of the first people in his neighborhood to acquire a television capable of showing images in …show more content…
Because both of my grandparents’ occupations were basically the same as their parents, I would say my grandparents experienced relatively little intergenerational social mobility. Intergenerational social mobility refers to the “change in the social position of children relative to their parents” (Schaefer 2015:195). Although there were variations in occupations from my grandparents and great-grandparents, there was little change in the social position among my grandparents and great-grandparents, since farming was a significant occupation in both of those