Channels of social mobility

Social mobility in Russia is a change in the status of an individual or an entire social group. The author of this system is Pitirim Sorokin, who managed to introduce sociology into science in 1927.

The factors of social mobility are, firstly, the maturation of the individual. For example, a child, a priori, will eventually change his status, leaving the circle of duties and rights that belonged to him as an immature individual. In the same way, an elderly person, leaving the limits of age restrictions, changes his status as a worker to a pensioner.

Secondly, it should be noted vertical mobility, resulting from social stratification. This change in status can occur both in ascending and descending trajectories.

Factors of social mobility of this kind are the following: increasing the level of education of an individual (for example, obtaining a diploma), changing the place of work due to accumulation of experience (for example, obtaining a higher professional category, military rank), loss of a workplace or demotion (for example, In connection with labor violations or in connection with violations of legislation by the company's administrative bodies - dismissal due to pregnancy or disability), getting into "places not so remote" I am working capacity.

Horizontal mobility refers to the replacement of an individual by social status within the same social status (change of place of residence, religion, work in the same status, and other).

Discussing the process of social mobility, it should be noted that the movement of an individual in society has a certain conditioning. Chaotic mobility takes place only with an unstable social structure, due to critical historical moments or an economic crisis. With a stable structure of society, a change in the status of an individual can occur only with the approval of the social environment, through certain channels.

Broadly speaking, social mobility channels are social structures, methods and mechanisms used by an individual in order to be able to move from one social status to another.

That is, educational institutions in which a citizen can receive an education that gives him the right to occupy a higher position are the channels of social mobility. Political parties and political authorities, economic structures and public organizations, the army and the Church, family-clan ties and trade unions are also included here.

It should also be noted that the structures of organized crime are also channels of social mobility, since they themselves have their own internal system of mobility and, moreover, often have quite a perceptible influence on the "official" channels.

Considering the fact that the channels of social mobility work as an integral social system, one can say that its structure consists of a variety of institutional and legal procedures that can allow or not the movement of an individual.

These can be called examination commissions, guardianship authorities, district administrations, housing commissions, military commissariat, court and others. If a person wants to climb the vertical status ladder, he needs to undergo a certain "testing", which will show whether the given individual corresponds to a new, desired status.

For example, in order to improve housing conditions, it is necessary to present the necessary documents to the housing commission, to receive a diploma - to undergo training and to pass final exams, when entering a job - to pass an interview.