nearly impossible. .
Before examining how this upward movement is suppressed in todays society, it is.
necessary to look at what types exist in our nation today. Usually the amount of mobility.
in a society is a major indicator of its openness. India, for example, is a very closed.
society. Unlike the US, it runs on a caste system that dictates each persons status in life.
and forbids any movement between classes. The US has mostly seen structural mobility,.
which is advancement opportunity made possible by an increase in better-paid occupations.
at the expense of lower-wage occupations. Since WWII, there has been a large increase in.
high-paying managerial and executive positions, as well as blue-collar working class jobs.
Within this structural mobility, there is room for a person to either rise or fall through the.
different levels of the class system. However, there are many other things that have an.
effect on this, making advancements extremely difficult, and class lines deeply drawn.
.
In today's society, as well as many other industrialized nations, mobility between.
classes is based on the single idea that the "underclass", as Gans calls it, are the lowest of.
all the classes, and that all mobility goes upward from this low point. Because of this.
society makes upward mobility for the lower classes quite difficult, because they guarantee.
the status of those who are not poor. Due to what some people would consider inadequate.
education and the inaccurate stereotypes of poor people being incapable and lazy, the poor.
enable others to obtain the better jobs. These stereotypes sometimes begin while still in.
school as Gans explains, "Teachers treat students differently if they think they come from.
broken homes" (p. 67). These labels can be psychologically damaging to a persons.
self-esteem, and can actually cause more oppression of the poor by their own selves, who.
feel trapped in their position. The poor do not hold enough power to correct the.