Programme full

Wednesday 15 April 2015 09:00 - 10:30
PAPER SESSION 1
Social Mobility over Three Generations in Britain
Zhang, M.
(University of Manchester)
The most of social mobility studies have adopted a two-generation (parent-to-child) model of intergenerational
inequality and disregarded the role of grandparents as an extra resource in affecting individuals' social mobility. A
combination of increased longevity, the higher rates of divorce and single-parenthood and declined fertility rate has
increased the duration of grandparent-grandchild relationships and as a result grandparental involvements in their
grandchildren's life have become prevalent and complex. Against this background, the traditional two-generation
paradigm may not be able to fully capture the picture of social mobility and may risk an underestimation of the effect of
family origins. Few studies have paid attention to the grandparental effect in grandchildren's social mobility, but their
results are mixed.
Using data from the British Household Panel Survey from 1991 to 2008 and Understanding Society from 2009 to
2012, I attempt to investigate the pattern of social mobility over three generations from a longitudinal perspective.
While considering the three-generational lineage (grandparent-parent-grandchild) as the agent of redistribution with an
appreciation of demographic changes, I suggest that social positions of grandparents in the maternal line have
significant influences on the differentiation of individuals' social achievements, after controlling for effects of parents.
Going beyond the previous preoccupation with the two generation framework and taking a holistic view of
multigenerational inequalities are expected to contribute valuable discoveries on how social inequalities persist over
generations.
Social Mobility and Ethnicity in Britain
Li, Y., Heath, A.
(University of Manchester)
Much research on social mobility has been carried out in Britain with heated debates as to whether social inequality is
declining, rising or staying constant. Most of the studies are, however, conducted at the general population level
without considering the ethnic effects, and most of them only look at the origin-destination associations without
exploring the mobility processes. In this paper we address the two neglected issues by examining the mobility
processes associated with ethnicity in the last five decades. We look at the classical OED (origin, education and
destination) relations among whites and first- and second- generation ethnic minorities, which is further complemented
by two moderated effects drawing on insights from Hout (1988) and Goldthorpe (2008): the OD variation with E, and
the ED variation with O (sorry cannot show the diagram here).
Using data from the General Household Survey, British Household Panel Survey and Understanding Society (1972-
2012) with harmonised variables on ethnicity and generation, and with father's and respondent's class coded into
International Socio-Economic Index of Occupational Status (ISEI), we assess the relations employing the SEM
techniques. We find little change in the OE and ED associations but declining OD effects. The OD association with
higher education has been strengthening whilst that for low education has been weakening. The ED association with
different origins has shown little change. The patterns for immigrants are inconsistent but those for the second
generation largely mirror whites' profile. There are signs of progress even though marked inequalities exist.
Social Divisions/Social Identities 2
W702, HAMISH WOOD BUILDING
MARKING OUT BOUNDARIES, MAKING UP PLACES: EVERYDAY PARTICIPATION AND CONSTRUCTIONS
OF CULTURAL VALUE
The papers in this panel are rooted in research being undertaken for the ‘Understanding Everyday Participation –
Articulating Cultural Values’ project (www.everydayparticipation.org); an interdisciplinary project funded for 5 years
from 2012 by the AHRC as part of the ‘Connected Communities’ programme. In a challenge to the deficit model of
participation that has helped to inform the canonisation and funding of particular cultural forms and activities by the
state, this project is undertaking a re-evaluation of the relationship between participation and cultural value: firstly, by
examining the meanings and stakes people attach to ‘everyday’ practices, such as hobbies, pastimes and informal
social involvements; and secondly, by exploring the interplay between participation, time and place. In this way, the
research seeks, amongst other things, to extend recent attempts to apply a Bourdieusian frame to understandings of
cultural consumption and social stratification in the UK, which have arguably neglected the ‘ordinary’ domains and
spatial dimensions of cultural engagement. To this end, the project is working in six contrasting ‘cultural ecosystems’
BSA Annual Conference 2015 76
Glasgow Caledonian University