The social dimension is the volume of the lift. social mobility

The ways in which people move from one social group to another are called channels of social mobility or social elevators.

P. Sorokin singled out several main social elevators: army, church, school, family (marriage) , political and public organizations.

Army functions in this capacity not in peacetime, but in wartime. Large losses among the command staff lead to the filling of vacancies from lower ranks. Having risen in rank, they use the received power as a channel for further advancement and accumulation of wealth. They have the opportunity to rob, loot, seize trophies, take indemnities, take away slaves, surround themselves with pompous ceremonies, titles, and transfer their power by inheritance.

Church as a channel of social circulation moved a large number of people from the bottom to the top of society. Gebbon, Archbishop of Reims, was a former slave. Pope Gregory VII - the son of a carpenter. The church was a channel not only for an upward, but also for a downward movement. Thousands of heretics, pagans, enemies of the church were brought to justice, ruined and destroyed. Among them were many kings, dukes, princes, lords, aristocrats and nobles of high ranks.

School. The institutions of upbringing and education, no matter what concrete form they take, have served in all ages as a powerful channel of social circulation. Large competitions for colleges and universities in many countries are explained by the fact that education is the fastest and most accessible channel of vertical mobility.

Ownership is most clearly manifested in the form of accumulated wealth and money. They are one of the simplest and most effective ways of social promotion. In the XV-XVIII centuries. European society began to rule money. Achieved a high position only those who had money, and not a noble origin. P. A. Sorokin noted that “the role of the channel that the modern school plays is becoming more and more significant, because, in fact, it has taken over the functions that were previously performed by the church, the family and some other institutions.”

family and marriage become channels of vertical circulation if representatives of different social strata join the union.

In modern sociology, there are several main channels of social mobility:

The social status of the family

External data, mental and physical abilities;

Education;

Thus, the process of mobility as a whole takes a variety of forms from a simple transition from family to family to ingenious and complex actions aimed at achieving high status.

Mobility is highly dependent from motivation individuals and their starting opportunities. Moreover, opportunities for upward mobility are different in each society and may change.

Migration.

Migration is the process of changing the permanent place of residence of individuals or social groups, expressed in moving to another region, geographical area or another country. Migration also includes moving from a village to a city and vice versa.

The migration process is closely related to both horizontal and vertical mobility, since each migrating individual, in addition to moving to another social group, seeks to find better economic, political or social conditions of existence in a new place. Sociology considers, as a rule, mass flows of migration and their impact on demographic and social processes in a given region.

migration mechanism. In order for people to want to change their usual place of residence, conditions are necessary that force them to move to other cities, regions, countries. These conditions are usually divided into three main groups: push, attraction and migration routes.

1. extrusion associated with unsatisfactory or difficult living conditions of the individual in his native places. The expulsion of large masses of people is associated primarily with serious social upheavals (interethnic conflicts, dictatorships, wars), economic crises, natural disasters (earthquakes, floods, etc.). In case of individual migration, failure in a career, death of relatives, loneliness, etc. can serve as a buoyant force.
2. Attraction it is a set of attractive features or conditions for living in other places, for example, in regions where there is higher wages, where one can attain a higher social status, or where there is greater political stability, which ultimately leads to a feeling of greater confidence in the future. The greater the difference in social, economic or political conditions of existence in two regions, the more likely it is to migrate under the influence of gravity forces to areas with better conditions. Differences in living conditions can be artificially created to control migration flows and to attract labor and "brains" to certain areas where they are in short supply.
3. Migration paths it is a characteristic of the direct movement of a migrant from one geographical location to another. Migration routes include the availability of a migrant, his luggage and family to another region, the presence or absence of barriers on the way, information that helps to overcome financial obstacles. Very often, it is the lack of accessibility in movement that nullifies the action of the forces of buoyancy and attraction. For example, the high cost of tickets cannot allow an individual and his family to leave for another country. The same can be said about language barriers, obtaining permission to leave and enter, the lack of information about living conditions in a new place, and many other difficulties encountered on the way of migrants.

SOCIAL MOBILITY.

The concept was introduced into scientific circulation by P. Sorokin in 1927.

social mobility It is an opportunity to change the social stratum. The concept of social mobility is close in meaning to the concept of a social lift or career.

social mobility- change by an individual or group of the place occupied in the social structure (social position), moving from one social stratum (class, group) to another (vertical mobility) or within the same social stratum (horizontal mobility). Sharply limited in a caste and class society, social mobility increases significantly in an industrial society.

Horizontal mobility- the transition of an individual from one social group to another, located at the same level (example: transition to another religious community, change of citizenship). Distinguish between individual mobility - the movement of one person independently of others, and group mobility - the movement occurs collectively. In addition, geographical mobility is distinguished - moving from one place to another while maintaining the same status (example: international and interregional tourism, moving from city to village and back). As a kind of geographical mobility, the concept of migration is distinguished - moving from one place to another with a change in status (example: a person moved to a city for permanent residence and changed his profession).

types of migration on:

character - labor and political reasons:

duration - temporary (seasonal) and permanent;

Territories - domestic and international:

status - legal and illegal.

Vertical mobility- moving a person up or down the corporate ladder.

Upward mobility- social uplift, upward movement (For example: promotion).

Downward mobility- social descent, downward movement (For example: demotion)

Intergenerational mobility- comparative change in social status among different generations (example: the son of a worker becomes president).

Intragenerational mobility(social career) - a change in status within one generation (example: a turner becomes an engineer, then a shop manager, then a factory director). Vertical and horizontal mobility are influenced by gender, age, birth rate, death rate, population density. In general, men and young people are more mobile than women and the elderly. Overpopulated countries are more likely to experience the consequences of emigration (relocation from one country to another for economic, political, personal reasons) than immigration (moving to a region for permanent or temporary residence of citizens from another region). Where the birth rate is high, the population is younger and therefore more mobile, and vice versa.

The ways in which people move from one social group to another are called channels of social mobility, or social “elevators.” (These include: the social status of the family; place of residence; military service; marriage.)

The channels of social mobility can be: school, education in general, family, professional organizations, army, political parties and organizations, church. These social institutions serve as mechanisms for the selection and selection of individuals, placing them in the desired social stratum. Of course, in modern society, education is of particular importance, the institutions of which perform the function of a kind of “social lift” that ensures vertical mobility. Moreover, in the context of the transition from an industrial society to a post-industrial (informational) one, where scientific knowledge and information become the decisive factor in economic and social development, the role of education is increasing significantly.

List of social mobility elevators^

The choice of the elevator (channel) of social mobility is of great importance in the choice of profession and in the selection of personnel. Sorokin named eight elevators of vertical mobility, which people move up or down the steps of the social ladder in the course of their personal career:

Army. 36 Roman emperors (Julius Caesar, Octavian Augustus, etc.) out of 92 achieved their position through military service.

Religious organizations. The significance of this lift reached its climax in the Middle Ages, when the bishop was also a landlord, when the Pope of Rome could dismiss kings and emperors, for example, Gregory VII (Pope of Rome) in 1077 deposed, humiliated and excommunicated Emperor Henry of the Holy Roman Empire IV. Catholic priests were forbidden to marry and have children, therefore, after their death, new people occupied the vacant positions, which prevented the formation of a hereditary oligarchy and accelerated the process of vertical mobility. The Prophet Muhammad was at first a simple merchant, and then became the ruler of Arabia.

School and scientific organizations. In ancient China, the school was the main elevator in society. According to the recommendations of Confucius, a system of educational selection (selection) was built. Schools were open to all classes, the best students were transferred to higher schools, and then to universities, from there the best students got into the government and to the highest state and military posts. There was no hereditary aristocracy. In modern society, business and politics should be the main elevators. Today, one cannot hold a public office without a university degree. For example, 4% of Russian academicians came from the peasantry, for example, Lomonosov.

Political elevator, that is, government groups and parties.

Art.

Press, television, radio. Newspapers and television can provide publicity and promotion.

Economic organizations. The accumulation of wealth is the most reliable way to the top in the conditions of compliance with the law; in conditions of social cataclysms, wealth can be easily taken away. A poor aristocrat is not able to maintain social prestige. The middle class used money to buy all the desired titles and privileges.

Family and marriage. According to ancient Roman law, if a free woman married a slave, then her children became slaves, the son of a slave and a free man became a slave. Today, there is an "attraction" of rich brides and poor aristocrats, when in the event of marriage, both partners receive mutual benefit: the bride receives the title, and the groom - wealth.

At the same time, it should be noted that the processes of social mobility can be accompanied by the marginalization and lumpenization of society. Marginality is understood as an intermediate, “borderline” state of a social subject. Marginal (from Latin - located on the edge), when moving from one social group to another, retains the old system of values, connections, habits and cannot learn new ones (migrants, unemployed). On the whole, marginal people seem to lose their social identity and therefore experience great psychological stress. Lumpen (from German - rags), trying in the process of social mobility to move from the old group to the new one, finds himself outside the group altogether, breaks social ties and eventually loses basic human qualities - the ability to work and the need for it (beggars, homeless, declassed elements). It should be noted that at present the processes of marginalization and lumpenization have become noticeably widespread in Russian society, and this may lead to its destabilization.

The processes of social mobility can take various forms and even be contradictory. But at the same time, for a complex society, the free movement of individuals in social space is the only way of development, otherwise it can be expected by social tension and conflicts in all spheres of public life. In general, social mobility is an important tool for analyzing the dynamics of society and changing its social parameters.

Social elevator is a very interesting social mechanism. This topic is simply necessary to know for orientation in the material on social science. No matter how much I say that it is important to be able to give facts, to navigate through examples, material - everything is like talking into the void. All some books are read, some tests are solved ... Just tin. In general, tomorrow there will be different conversations #3. I'll tell you what you're doing wrong. And now about social elevators.

The concept of social elevator

A social lift is a mechanism for increasing (or lowering) social status. The concept of a social elevator is directly related to the concept. But to a greater extent - with social mobility. Social elevators raise (or lower) four main social characteristics: the level of power, income, prestige and education.

These signs may increase one at a time or all at once. For example, the level of authority is the number of people who are subordinate to you. The more, the more power. It is clear that any organization where there is a hierarchy of positions and statuses can serve as a social elevator.

Income is the totality of material values ​​that an individual receives over a certain period. Income, like power, can rise in one social elevator and not in another. For example, you may be an archivist (what a status!), but the salary may be simply miserable.

What is prestige and the level of education in more detail, as well as the two previous signs of social mobility, were analyzed in the video course "Social Science: USE for 100 points"

Examples of a social elevator

Pitirim Sorokin, a Nobel laureate and Russian-American sociologist, recognized only three social elevators: the army, the family, and the church.

In the army, you can curry favor from a private to a general - with diligence and due diligence. For example, let's take some guy from the village "Keys", which is located in the heart of Kamchatka. As you understand, a helicopter flies there, throws out medicines, food once a month and flies away. What are the real chances for a boy from such a village to "break out into the people"? He will not pass the exam, because there is only one school in the entire district, and there are only 3-4 teachers who teach all disciplines.

By the way, a girl from such a wilderness once wrote to me - she bought a video course on history from me and passed - for points - the best in the region ... She entered a university and her happiness knew no bounds. Well, what about our boy? He is not particularly diligent - he would run through the forest and play football ... The army is the only available social elevator, where they will take him with arms and legs just like that. And he is healthy - I suppose he will go. Here the army will be an awesome social elevator for him.

The church is also a cool social elevator. For example, you were an ordinary boy - and became a clergyman. Here there is career growth, and food, housing (cells) will be provided. In a word, wow. You just need to improve your Greek and Latin.

The family is an example of a social elevator. If you were born into a family with connections, then you are guaranteed a serious career. Dad is the director of the plant, mom is the mayor of the city, uncle is the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs - choose what they say - you won’t go wrong. However, today, other social elevators have appeared in the post-industrial society. For example, education and the Internet.

Igor Rasteryaev can serve as an example of such a case. Who knew this talented singer and musician until 2011, when he sang his famous song about combine operators on YouTube? Yes, no one. And after his video was watched and appreciated by 10 million people, he became a sought-after singer and musician! About education as a social elevator - you can guess for yourself - nothing complicated.

Subscribe to new articles! Write in the comments your examples of social elevators.

Sincerely, Andrey Puchkov

scientific definition

social mobility- change by an individual or group of the place occupied in the social structure (social position), moving from one social stratum (class, group) to another (vertical mobility) or within the same social stratum (horizontal mobility). Sharply limited in a caste and estate society, social mobility increases significantly in an industrial society.

Horizontal mobility

Horizontal mobility- the transition of an individual from one social group to another, located on the same level (example: moving from an Orthodox to a Catholic religious group, from one citizenship to another). Distinguish between individual mobility - the movement of one person independently of others, and group mobility - the movement occurs collectively. In addition, geographical mobility is distinguished - moving from one place to another while maintaining the same status (example: international and interregional tourism, moving from city to village and back). As a kind of geographical mobility, the concept of migration is distinguished - moving from one place to another with a change in status (example: a person moved to a city for a permanent place of residence and changed his profession). And it is similar to castes.

Vertical mobility

Vertical mobility- moving a person up or down the corporate ladder.

• Upward mobility- social uplift, upward movement (For example: promotion).
• Downward mobility- social descent, downward movement (For example: demotion).

social lift

social lift- a concept similar to vertical mobility, but more often used in the modern context of discussing the theory of elites as one of the means of rotation of the ruling elite.

Generational mobility

Intergenerational mobility is a comparative change in social status among different generations (example: the son of a worker becomes president).

Intragenerational mobility (social career) - a change in status within one generation (example: a turner becomes an engineer, then a shop manager, then a factory director). Vertical and horizontal mobility are influenced by gender, age, birth rate, death rate, population density. In general, men and young people are more mobile than women and the elderly. Overpopulated countries are more likely to experience the consequences of emigration (relocation from one country to another for economic, political, personal reasons) than immigration (moving to a region for permanent or temporary residence of citizens from another region). Where the birth rate is high, the population is younger and therefore more mobile, and vice versa.

Literature

• - article from the Newest Philosophical Dictionary
• Sorokin R. A. Social and cultural mobility. - N. Y. - L., 1927.
• Glass D.V. Social mobility in Britain. - L., 1967.

Wikimedia Foundation. 2010 .

See what "Social mobility" is in other dictionaries:

- (social mobility) Movement from one class (class) or, more often, from a group with a certain status to another class, to another group. Social mobility both between generations and within the professional activities of individuals is … Political science. Vocabulary.

Change by an individual or group of social position, the place occupied in the social structure. S. m. is connected both with the operation of the laws of societies. development, class struggle, causing the growth of some classes and groups and a decrease ... ... Philosophical Encyclopedia

SOCIAL mobility, change by an individual or group of the place occupied in the social structure, movement from one social stratum (class, group) to another (vertical mobility) or within the same social stratum ... ... Modern Encyclopedia

Change by an individual or group of the place occupied in the social structure, moving from one social stratum (class, group) to another (vertical mobility) or within the same social stratum (horizontal mobility). ... ... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary

social mobility- SOCIAL MOBILITY, change by an individual or group of the place occupied in the social structure, movement from one social stratum (class, group) to another (vertical mobility) or within the same social stratum ... ... Illustrated Encyclopedic Dictionary

The concept by which the social movements of people are indicated in the direction of social positions, characterized by a higher (social ascent) or lower (social degradation) level of income, prestige and degree ... ... The latest philosophical dictionary

See SOCIAL MOBILITY. Antinazi. Encyclopedia of Sociology, 2009 ... Encyclopedia of Sociology

SOCIAL MOBILITY- SOCIAL MOBILITY, a term used (along with the concepts of social displacement and social mobility) in sociology, demography and economics. sciences to denote the transitions of individuals from one class, social group and stratum to another, ... ... Demographic Encyclopedic Dictionary

- (vertical mobility) See: labor overflow (mobility of labor). Business. Dictionary. Moscow: INFRA M, Ves Mir Publishing House. Graham Bets, Barry Brindley, S. Williams et al. Osadchaya I.M.. 1998 ... Glossary of business terms

social mobility- a personal quality acquired in the course of educational activities and expressed in the ability to quickly master new realities in various spheres of life, to find adequate ways to resolve unforeseen problems and fulfill ... ... Official terminology

Books

• Sport and social mobility. Crossing borders, Spaay Ramon. Great athletes, Olympic champions, famous football players, hockey players or racers are known all over the world. Undoubtedly, the sport that became their profession made them famous and rich. BUT…

Channel of social mobility one should name such a sphere of society or a social institution where upward or downward mobility is carried out, for example, property, family, production, army, religion, education. Mobility ropes are also called social elevators.

Army functions as a channel of social mobility both in peacetime and in wartime. Large losses or retirements among the command staff lead to the filling of vacancies from lower ranks. In wartime, junior officers advance through talent and courage; in peacetime, through loyalty, obedience, and seniority. Having risen in rank, they use the received power as a channel for further advancement and accumulation of wealth.

For example, it is known that out of 92 Roman emperors, 36 reached their high position, starting from the lower ranks. Of the 65 Byzantine emperors, 12 advanced through military careers. Napoleon Bonaparte and his entourage, marshals, generals and the kings of Europe appointed by him came from commoners. Oliver Cromwell, General Ulysses Grant, one of the founding fathers of the United States, George Washington, and thousands of other commanders have risen to the highest positions thanks to the army.

In Russia, starting from the 18th century, when the 25-year service was introduced by Petrine decrees, army turned into a channel of vertical mobility, including for serfs. An ordinary soldier of the lowest origin could serve an officer's and even a general's rank. If not in his regiment, then in the neighboring one he could see an officer who had emerged from the soldiers. In former times, this channel was monopolized first by the boyars, who made up the princely squad, and later by the nobility, officially considered the service class of the state. The Russian peasant knew that the boyars, nobles, landowners were state servants who received their lands for military labor. It's been that way for centuries. But in the era of Peter the Great, every recruit from the serfs remembered that yesterday he was a man of the lord, and today he is a king. From the first years of Soviet power, the army enjoyed great prestige in society and was perceived as an effective means of social mobility, an opportunity to break out of the shackles of the village, to go "to the people." The peasant guy saw how a Red Army soldier from his village, after being dismissed from the RKKL, became the chairman of the village council, and his neighbor entered the university after service, his older brother became a red commander. In the army it was easier to join the party and the Komsomol, which opened the way to a new life. The status of "a man with a gun" formed a sense of exclusivity. Having set himself the goal of preparing in the army to climb the steps of the social ladder, the young man grew up primarily in his own eyes. Outside the army, he expected a similar attitude towards himself from those around him, and if this did not follow, he experienced a mental breakdown.

During the years of Brezhnev's stagnation, work in militia over the past decades, it has represented one of the permanent channels of social mobility, in particular, movement from the countryside to the city, and this happened to a large extent due to the shortage of city dwellers willing to serve in the police. The Moscow police accepted young people who had served in the army under the age of 35 and did not have a Moscow residence permit. There could be no other way to get to the capital, as soon as to get a job in the police, for example, among people from the Russian hinterland. Not only the army and the police, but also strong structure in general, they used to and now act as a powerful channel of vertical mobility, allowing people to make the ascent from the peripheral to the central segments of society. The experience of the USSR and the USA shows that during periods when the army creates good opportunities for vertical mobility and professional advancement, it (in general and in the officer corps) is dominated by people from rural areas and small towns.

For the military, mobility is the result of a voluntary or forced change of profession, position, specialty, qualifications and place of service, carried out both by an officer and members of his family. If we compare the social mobility of different categories of officers (junior, senior, higher), then research shows that junior officers are more mobile than senior and higher officers. As you move up the career ladder, the speed and intensity of social mobility of various categories of officers, depending on conditions and factors (both subjective and objective), can either increase or decrease. When the army ceases to be a social lift, it becomes socially closed, then the movement from peasants and workers to high-ranking officers, from the upper and middle classes to officers, practically stops. Mobility is becoming horizontal: from the civilian middle class to the military middle class.

Data 1991 - 1992 about the attitude of university students to military training (after the law of 1990 on its voluntariness) indicate that there is a trend towards horizontal social displacement. This is expressed, for example, in a fairly clear dependence: the less prestigious the university (or even the specialty in it, the department), the more people who want to receive military training, who consider military education to be promising.

Church as a channel of social circulation moved a large number of people from the bottom to the top of society. P. A. Sorokin, having studied the life history of 144 heads of the Roman Catholic Church, found that 28 came from the lower classes of society, and 27 from the middle strata. The institution of celibacy (celibacy), introduced in the 11th century. Pope Gregory VII (by the way, came from a poor family of Tuscan landowners), obliged the Catholic clergy not to have children. Thanks to this, the positions vacated after the death of the clerics were filled with new people. But besides the upward movement, the church was a channel for a downward movement: thousands of heretics, pagans, enemies of the church were brought to justice, ruined and destroyed. Among them are many kings, dukes, princes, lords, aristocrats and nobles of high rank.

Education in modern society, it is the main elevator that provides promotion on the social ladder. The education system consists of several levels, at each of which you can leave on time without being able to study further: primary, incomplete secondary, complete secondary school education, secondary special, higher, post-higher (postgraduate and doctoral studies), as well as additional, including many courses advanced training and retraining, which you can visit throughout your life. The school and the education system as a whole are an effective tool for social movement. In all countries, the same pattern is observed: the lower the level of education, the lower the qualifications, the achieved status and the salary. A high level of education, on the contrary, is a way to make a professional career.

In the 19th century, a procedure was established in Russia for the production of a collegiate assessor and a state adviser to the civil ranks. The decree of August 6, 1809 forbade the promotion of employees who did not have certificates of completion of the university course or who did not pass the exam at the university according to the established program, which was attached to the decree. In particular, to obtain the ranks of a collegiate assessor and a state councilor, knowledge of Russian and any foreign languages, knowledge of natural, Roman and civil law, state economics, criminal laws, a thorough acquaintance with national history, knowledge of geography, mathematics and even physics were required.

In various periods, education acted as a factor contributing to the advancement of the social ladder, a condition for engaging in trade, entering the service in state institutions. It is education that gives certificates, diplomas, certificates necessary for practicing many types of activities. A diploma opens up access to a highly qualified and well-paid job, i.e. serves as a means of increasing economic status. And since it testifies to the high prestige of the owner, it becomes a symbol of social status and deep knowledge. The higher the level of education and the qualifications obtained, the higher the position achieved in the service, social recognition, scientific title, remuneration and awards.

in the United States in the 1960s. college education provided an opportunity to earn an additional 200 thousand dollars, within 30 years after graduation. The return on this investment was tenfold, averaging 30% annual returns over 30 years. In 1992 in the United States, a college-educated worker could earn $600,000 more over the course of his career than a high-school-educated worker. A PhD holder earned $1,600 more than a college graduate and $2,200 more than a high school graduate. Investments in this level of education, amounting to about 110 thousand dollars, pay off 20 times within 30 years, and the rate of return continues to grow at an unprecedented rate.

In a post-industrial society, only education provides the necessary guarantee that the family will not end up in poverty. The proportion of Americans with a college degree who are below the poverty line for various reasons does not exceed 4%, and those with incomplete secondary education - from 30 to 50%.

In Soviet times, there was another lift to a social career - membership in the Communist Party, or party affiliation. Today it has survived only in China, while in Russia other political organizations have appeared instead of the Communist Party, primarily the United Russia party, membership in which helps to make a public career. Party affiliation- this is an entry into a political corporation, active participation in its activities, identification and solidarity with it, protection of its interests in external organizations, as well as its representation in various spheres of public life.

Own most clearly manifests itself in the form of accumulated wealth and money. They are one of the simplest and most effective ways of social promotion. In the XV-XVIII centuries. money began to rule European society: only those who had money, and not those of noble birth, reached a high position. The last periods of the history of Ancient Greece and Rome were the same.

P. A. Sorokin found that not all, but only some occupations and professions contribute to the accumulation of wealth. According to his calculations, 29% of cases are the occupation of a manufacturer, 21 - a banker and a stockbroker, 12 - a merchant. The professions of artists, artists, inventors, statesmen, miners and some others do not provide such opportunities.

The accumulation of wealth in the first generation is not yet a guarantee of the preservation and increase of wealth in the future. The guarantee is property inheritance institution. At first, there was no inheritance. In the early primitive society, property created by individual labor and used individually (tools and weapons, clothes, jewelry), after the death of the owner as his personal property, was destroyed or accompanied him to the grave for use in the "afterlife". The rest of the property became the collective property of the community. Later, the transfer of inheritance from father to sons takes two forms: a) majorate(public status, title, property passes in full to the eldest of the heirs) and b) minority(real estate is divided proportionally between all sons or passes to the youngest, who takes care of elderly parents).

It is believed that the minority arose earlier and characterizes a primitive society, where the principle of social equality was implanted, property was divided equally, and the weak were helped. It was also preserved in the Russian land community until the beginning of the 20th century. Majorat arose later, it encouraged social inequality and helped feudalism to develop successfully. On its basis, an order was formed in early class societies. dynastic succession authority with careful consideration of origin from its legitimate bearers.

In China, the 7th-10th centuries. practiced the principle minority, because of which even the most significant property in the third generation was calculated only in hundredths of its shares and was practically small. As a result, the upper class became very mobile: some, more successful and stubborn, poured into it, others, who inherited a small part of the property of their father or grandfather and themselves did not succeed in teaching, found themselves outside it.

Majorat, or principle of primogeniture, contributes to the inseparability of property and rights, and thus the concentration of wealth in the privileged strata of society. In England, where it has survived to this day, wealth was not shared, but multiplied. Over many centuries, a powerful aristocracy has formed in the country, which is able to oppose its opinion to the head of state and press him to make more democratic decisions. Like the minorate, the majorate promotes social mobility: representatives of the younger branches or younger sons have to make their own way in life.

The old expression "Younger sons built the British Empire" applies to Spain, which was also built by "younger sons". All campaigns for the colonization of the New World, like the crusades of the Middle Ages, were carried out thanks to the institution of majorat.

In the 8th century in the north of Europe, the division of the land ended. Now the eldest son (mayorat) inherited the land allotment, the younger had nothing to do but go to "vic"- military settlement, camp. There was a movement Vikings -"Vic's children". They were looking for good luck on the paths of war, robbery. They were opposed headings - compatriots left on earth. In Russia, Peter I tried to introduce the institution of majorat, but nothing came of it.

Family and marriage as an elevator of social mobility, they become channels of vertical circulation in the event that representatives of different social statuses enter the union. In European society, the marriage of a poor, but titled partner with a rich, but ignoble one, was widespread. As a result, both moved up the social ladder, getting what each wanted. We find an example of downward mobility in Antiquity: according to Roman law, a free woman who marries a slave becomes a slave herself and loses the status of a free citizen. Gradually, society formed institution of inheritance of social status parents: children born in a family with a high social rank automatically received a high status. The family has become the main mechanism of social selection, determination and inheritance of social status.

The origin of a noble family does not automatically guarantee a good heredity and a decent education. Parents cared about the best possible upbringing of children, this became a mandatory norm for the aristocracy, while in poor families, parents could not give their children a proper education and upbringing.

In Russia in the XVII-XVIII centuries. the service nobility, primarily the provincial and Moscow region, strengthened their social position by marriages with the well-born nobility and boyars. The family has become one of the institutions for the distribution of members of society by strata.

In addition to channels, there are also concepts of means, mechanisms, barriers and filters of social mobility. Terms social lift and social mechanism are used in the same sense, since both are man-made (group, society) devices that promote upward mobility. They are positive because they move a person up the hierarchy. Negative devices are called social barriers.

means of social mobility can be considered such an institution, invention or other product of human hands and mind that helps individuals or groups of people to make vertical or horizontal mobility. An example would be social revolutions, in particular the October Revolution of 1917, which radically change the social structure of society, as a result of which some strata are destroyed or diminished in rights (deported, repressed, expelled), while others are elevated (the working class under socialism).

The same means or device of mobility is tourism, thanks to which people move from one country to another while sightseeing. The legal transit of tourists from one country to another is carried out by travel agencies and firms that have the appropriate rights and licenses.

Another example: corruption- Bribery and bribery. This is also a means, but by no means a channel of mobility, in particular, career advancement. A fake college diploma, which you can buy at the subway underpass, is also a means of social mobility - sometimes upward (if no one notices the forgery), sometimes downward (if imprisonment follows exposure).

Mobility mechanisms are artificially constructed institutions, procedures, or activities designed to regulate or assist in those actions that are considered to be socially useful. An example is the mechanisms of the labor market - chains or devices designed by people (usually the state responsible for the national labor market) in order to achieve pre-set goals based on a system of legislative acts, generally recognized social practices, norms, traditions, rules and general agreements between market participants. There are formal and informal (by acquaintance) employment channels: through personal connections; independent employment; employment by kinship and acquaintance; employment through the employment service; using the opportunities of the targeted recruitment of graduates of educational institutions (employment through distribution). All of these mechanisms are characterized prevalence(frequency of cases of using a particular channel) and accessibility(Equality of chance for anyone who wants to use this channel).

Employment with the help of relatives and friends relies on existing formal social networks and connections. The use of personal connections involves various behaviors: direct assistance in finding a job (patronage); providing information about the workplace (recommendation), etc. informal channel- direct appeal to the employer - implies individual activity and, similarly to the "help from relatives and friends" channel, the absence of formal intermediaries in employment. According to research by I. M. Kozina, informal channels, such as acquaintance and blat, are now more preferable for Russians than formal ones, through the employment service.

A barrier to social mobility it is necessary to assume such an obstacle that does not allow individuals or groups to carry out vertical (upward) or horizontal mobility (Fig. 5.3). Moving from the countryside to the city may be hindered by a lack of housing in the city, from country to country - by money, election to the presidency - by a lack of support from political parties or an age limit.

Rice. 5.3.

In 1998, Russia was struck by an unprecedented crisis associated with the devaluation of the ruble: the prices for all services, including educational ones, skyrocketed. Many layers have become unable to pay for education at school, gymnasium, college, university. Prices have become a barrier to upward mobility

To limit infiltration from below, the upper class creates a wide variety of social barriers:

• first type - administrative and legal barriers. In a feudal society, each person was legally recorded for a certain estate, and relations between estates, including marriage, the rights and obligations of each of them were regulated by state acts;
• second type - religious and professional barriers. An example is the caste system in India, where an individual cannot move from one caste to another during his lifetime;
• third type - accessibility and quality of education as a barrier to social mobility. Quality education is available to the wealthy and rich, inaccessible to the poor. Rural residents tend to have a lower level of education than city dwellers. In Russia, over 40% of young families after the birth of a child fall into the category of the poor. The Unified State Examination (USE), for which most provincial schools have no one to prepare schoolchildren, even for capable children, can become an additional barrier to entering a university. So it was at the beginning of the experiment, and in 2013 the USE became an obstacle for talented and intelligent citizens who honestly passed the exams. On the contrary, in the South of Russia, where control over the examination was weakened, poor students could buy high marks for money, and other negligent students copied ready-made answers via the Internet.
• 50 years ago, 40% of output was in institutions, in the late 1990s. - already two-thirds, and in 2010, thanks to the demographic crisis, every high school graduate could already enter a university. However, the number of state-funded places has since decreased significantly, and the number of paid vacancies has increased dramatically. Higher education has become expensive. It's not even that you have to pay for it. It's just that not every family can support a student. And again, just like 50 years ago, a little more than a third of first-graders graduate from school. Forty years ago, children from the upper classes made up a third of the school output, and among freshmen there were already twice as many. Today, there are more elites among school graduates than anyone else. During the "stagnation" the offspring of leaders accounted for twenty-fifth of the output, and in the 1990s. – for more than a quarter. The share of children of workers and peasants decreased by 2.5 times