intergenerational mobility
Low frequencyAcademic / Policy / Formal news reportage
Definition
Meaning
The change in social or economic status of a family or individual from one generation to the next.
A measure of the extent to which an individual's socioeconomic outcomes (e.g., income, education, occupation) differ from those of their parents, reflecting the fluidity and fairness of a society.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
Primarily used as a countable or uncountable noun phrase. Often analysed in terms of 'upward' or 'downward' mobility. It is a key concept in sociology and economics, measuring societal openness and equality of opportunity.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant difference in meaning or spelling. The term is equally standard in both academic communities.
Connotations
Used identically. Connotes debates about meritocracy, class systems, and social justice.
Frequency
Slightly more frequent in US academic discourse due to the prominence of related sociological research.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
Intergenerational mobility in [country/region]Intergenerational mobility of [group/class]Intergenerational mobility between generationsTo study/measure/analyse intergenerational mobilityVocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “Rags to riches (a specific, often extreme, form of upward mobility)”
- “Silver spoon (antithetical to mobility, implying inherited advantage)”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Used in reports on talent development, diversity, and economic trends. 'Our CSR initiative aims to improve intergenerational mobility in the local community.'
Academic
Core term in sociology and economics. 'The paper analyses trends in absolute intergenerational mobility in the US since 1940.'
Everyday
Rare. Might appear in quality news or political discussions. 'Politicians often debate policies to increase intergenerational mobility.'
Technical
Specific term with defined metrics (e.g., elasticity coefficients, transition matrices). 'The Great Gatsby Curve plots the relationship between inequality and intergenerational income mobility.'
Examples
By Part of Speech
adjective
British English
- The report highlighted an intergenerational-mobility crisis.
American English
- Intergenerational mobility trends are a key economic indicator.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- This term is too advanced for A2 level.
- Some countries have more intergenerational mobility than others.
- A high level of intergenerational mobility means that a child's future does not depend heavily on their parents' wealth.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of a family TREE (generations) where people can MOVE (mobility) up or down the branches compared to where their parents were.
Conceptual Metaphor
SOCIETY IS A LADDER (upward/downward mobility), or SOCIETY IS A FLUID (social fluidity).
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Avoid literal translation as 'межпоколенческая мобильность' which sounds odd. The standard Russian equivalent is 'межпоколенческая мобильность' or more naturally 'социальная мобильность между поколениями'.
- Do not confuse with 'географическая мобильность' (geographical mobility).
Common Mistakes
- Misspelling as 'inter-generational' (hyphen is less common).
- Using it as an adjective without a noun (e.g., 'The society is very intergenerational mobility' – incorrect). It is a noun phrase.
Practice
Quiz
What does 'low intergenerational mobility' typically indicate?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
No. Inequality measures disparity at a single point in time. Mobility measures movement between positions (like rungs on a ladder) across generations. A society can have high inequality but also high mobility.
Absolute mobility asks if children are better off than their parents in absolute terms (e.g., higher income). Relative mobility asks about the chance a child born into a poor family reaches the top quintile, compared to a child from a rich family—it's about changing ranks.
Nordic countries like Denmark, Norway, and Finland typically rank high in studies of relative mobility, while countries with historically strong class structures often show lower mobility.
Yes, 'downward mobility' occurs when a child's socioeconomic status is lower than their parents'. This can happen at an individual family level or, in times of economic crisis, across a whole cohort.