Intergenerational Educational Mobility Essay

Bourdieu defines cultural capital as "the general background, knowledge, disposition, and skill that are passed from one generation to the next" (13), and he affirms that children from different classes inherit different cultural capital. Bourdieu suggests that the cultural capital that upper class children

College is the next stepping stone to better or advance ones social standing in life, whether it is moving from a blue collar lifestyle to white collar, or to continue to further their career path. However, it comes with an “unavoidable result.” Alfred Lubrano discusses this “unavoidable result” in his text “The Shock of Education: How College Corrupts.” Lubrano discusses the topic of how furthering ones education opens more possibilities but at the same time distances those held most dearly. He explains that the more knowledge gained, the bigger the gap caused between friends and family due to differences in levels of knowledge. That distance is greatly increase if one comes from a poorer region where blue collar workers are the social

John Ranere Jr., VIP of Sugar House Casino, is one of few who experienced an upward social mobility. Individual efforts are the reason people move up the class ladder; and their faults the reason they move down (Henslin 227). John Ranere senior had died before his son was born in an automobile accident. Mrs. John Ranere had already had a daughter and was pregnant with her son. By looking, over time, at the incomes individuals earned relative to their parents’ income, statistics have shown they were able to measure “intergenerational mobility,” broadly speaking, the extent to which people are able to escape their upbringings (Cassidy). John Ranere Jr. didn’t finish high school, or attempt to go to college. He started working for casinos at a young age initially

Social mobility is a measure of how children’s social and economic position in adulthood compare to that of their parents. A major factor that many people believe can impact social mobility is education. However, I believe the impact of education is largely determined by the quality of education, which today is determined by where you live. Therefore, systems that discriminate against certain individuals based their neighborhood, largely impact their ability to obtain a good education, and as a result limit the extent of their social mobility. An example of this is redlining, coined by sociologist John McKnight, to describe a discriminatory practice, by which banks and insurance companies refuse loans to certain people based on where they live, because the geographic area is deemed as poor or financially risky. The areas they refused to invest in were predominantly neighborhoods of color, marked by redline separating the areas that were okay to invest in from neighborhoods that were “risky”. The implications of this system reinforced a cycle of decline in these areas due to business’s inability to prosper as a result of being blocked from obtaining loans. I want to make it clear that the system of redlining that I am describing is still alive and well in the present day, but takes on a slightly different form due to technology. In this paper, I will examine educational-redlining, as a means of social immobility to explore the relationship between the sociological concepts

In the 1997 article, “Public Goods, Private Goods: The American Struggle over Educational Goals” by David Labaree, Labaree describes three goals that have been at the core of educational conflicts over the years. The first goal mentioned is democratic equality, which is meant to create good citizens and enable educational access to all. The second goal is social efficiency, which creates workers and is viewed by taxpayers and employers as a goal to prepare students for market roles. Lastly is the third goal of social mobility, where individual success for attractive market roles is the main purpose. This primary goal of education has been ever fluctuating. The argument of this essay is that social mobility has now triumphed over democratic equality and social efficiency as the primary goal of education due to parents. This view of social mobility by parents is negative to due its numerous consequences, significantly the growing disparity between the wealthy and the underprivileged, and additionally, the health of children, their behavior, and the degree to which they learn educational material are all affected.

Educational Researcher by Gloria Ladson-Billings looked into the ratio between education and achievement and what the gap was between them and how to fix it. According to an interview with strict economist Professor Emeritus Robert Haveman of the University of Wisconsin’s Department of Economics he makes it clear by stating that “ In order to reduce the debt or gap in one being achievement you must then close the gap of the other being education” Ladson-Billings also goes on to recognize the parallel between not only your economic status when it comes to education but how well your parents did before you among many other things including your health along with your overall well being playing a factor into your education ( Ladson-Billings, Oct 2006, P 5). Additionally the first teachers of a student are their parents whom in the home are responsible for teaching their children the basic fundamentals they must adhere to within society in order to navigate throughout life.Thus giving them many opportunities to experience cultural and life development (Wilburn, Smith & Hill-Carter, 2013, P 242). This research ties into chapter three of our book where education is discussed and one such topic that Michael’s remarks upon would be annual family incomes and how depending on what is made shows what the students of the

Bourdieu’s concept refers to the collection of symbolic elements such as skills, tastes, credentials, etc. that one acquires through being a part of a particular social class. Sharing similar forms of cultural capital with others -for example, the same taste in movies, or a degree from the same school- helps to create a greater sense of collective identity and group position. There are also certain forms that are valued over others, and these can help or hinder ones social mobility, just like income or wealth.

Bourdieu’s theory of cultural capital has been extremely influential, and has garnered a great deal of literature, both theoretical and empirical. Like Marx, Bourdieu posited that capital was the foundation of social life and dictated people’s position within the social hierarchy (Bourdieu 1986). According to Bourdieu, the more capital one possesses, the more prestigious a position one occupies in social life (Bourdieu 1986). In addition to that, Bourdieu extended Marx’s idea of capital beyond the economic and into cultural symbolism (Bourdieu 1986). Bourdieu’s concept of cultural capital that refers to the collection of symbolic elements (e.g. skills, tastes, clothing) one acquires through being part of a particular social niche and his concept of habitus that refers to the physical manifestation of cultural capital owned by individuals due to life experiences are his major influential concepts that are very useful in deconstructing power in development and social change processes. However it must be recognized that these concepts also propagate social inequalities at the same time. This essay will closely examine his concepts of capital that comes in three forms - embodied, objectified, and institutionalised, and habitus in the fields of education and stratification have made of it. Bourdieu’s work will be analysed in the context both of the debate on class inequalities in educational attainment and of class reproduction in advanced capitalist societies.

Pierre Bourdieu developed the concept of cultural capital in order to attempt to explain the differences in educational outcomes in France during the 1960’s. Cultural capital is theorised as the forms of knowledge, skill, education; any advantages a person has which, give them a higher status in society, including high expectations (Nick Stevenson, 1995.pp.46-48). This differentiates economic and social status from the class agenda which, is rigidly sustained through an exclusive cycle. Cultural capital itself can be used in analysis of the class system, and how the dominant aesthetic and ideology is sustained from generation to generation.

Bourdieu’s concept of cultural capital relates to the symbolic characteristics namely skills, tastes and preferences, mannerisms, material goods, credentials etc. that a person gains by virtue of his or her membership of a particular social class. Bourdieu emphasizes on the importance of cultural capital as a major source of social inequality. Rooted in the Bourdieu concept of cultural capital is the aspect of social environment which he called the ’habitus’. According to him, one’s habitus will allow or not allow him or her to progress in life (Bourdieu, 1986). As regards this concept of habitus, it can be said that one’s social identity/nationality may or may not offer him or her opportunities in life. The concept of habitus can be likened to the concept of social capital (Portes, 1998:6) which refers to the ability of

Cultural capital is the cultural aspects that give a person a higher status in society; this can be in the form of education, taste, knowledge, skills, etc. The cultural habits and dispositions inherited from family are an individual’s cultural capital; the education they receive and the culture they are brought up in provides them with cultural capital. Bourdieu maintained that cultural capital was an extremely important type of capital, and cultural capital was important capable of giving an individual a much higher status in society. Bourdieu argues that cultural capital exists in three forms; in its embodied state, which refers to the cultural capital that is inherited and developed over time, through socialisation and family upbringing. It is not transferable to others. Cultural capital also exists in its objectified state, which refers to material objects which are owned; cultural goods such as valuable heirlooms or works of art that provide cultural capital but can also be sold for economic profit. Cultural capital also exists in the form of institutionalized capital, which is defined as institutional recognition, which is often in the form of academic qualifications. This form of cultural capital also can be used for economic gain, as an individual with high institutionalized cultural capital is able to obtain better employment in the

Pierre Bourdieu is a French Theorist. Bourdieu’s theory is to emphasize constructivist structuralism and he was influenced by Karl Marx by cultural capital. Bourdieu presents the question of class. Bourdieu claimed that capital forms the foundation of social life. Bourdieu thinks the more capital a person have, the more powerful they will be, and Marx had the same view as well. Bourdieu went on to claim that it had something to do with the symbolic realm of culture. When Bourdieu brings culture into it he means the peoples attribute to the world, structured by inequality and culture structures of inequality, also states that is a big part of social inequality. Bourdieu’s concept of cultural capital is skills, tastes, posture, clothing, mannerisms, material belongings, credentials, etc. You usually receive them through a social class. Bourdieu divides capital into three forms embodied, objectified, and institutionalized. He gives an example of embodied cultural capital, while a luxury car is an example of cultural capital in its objectified state. In its institutionalized state cultural capital would be credentials and qualifications (degrees or titles that shows cultural authority and acceptance.

Cultural Capital, a video by Sociology Live! (2015), embodies the many aspects that define an individual or group’s standing within a society. The video begins with an introduction of a french theorist, Pierre Bourdieu, who developed the theory of ‘Cultural Capital’. His theory suggests that cultural capital is the cultural knowledge that serves as a currency which helps one navigate culture, hence, alter our experience and opportunities available to us. The video then outlines the various elements that make up cultural capital, including material objects (apparel, cars, personal belongings) and symbolic elements (tastes, manners, skills and credentials). It then focuses on another view of

Moreover cultural capital is gained over a long period of timeas it impresses itself upon one’s behaviour which in turns becomes more attentive to or printed to receive similar influences OBJECTIFIED: meaning that cultural capital consists of physical objects that are owned such as instruments or works of art. These cultural goods can be transmitted both for economic profit. INSTITUTIONALIZED: cultural capital consists of institutional recognition, most often in the form of academic credentials or qualifications, of the cultural capital held by individual. In relation to Bourdieu’s other concepts, the concept of cultural capital is fundamentally linked to the concept of fields and habitus.

How does cultural capital and educational gaps affect social mobility? This paper will briefly present the idea of cultural capital and American educational gaps by comparing research of studies about the smartest kids in the world. United States has long claimed that every child has an equal right to an education no matter what their race, ethnic background, religion or sex or whether they are rich or poor, citizen or non-citizen, (ed.gov). While high school dropout rates have steadily decreased for all races since 1997, the drop out rates for 16-24 years in college has steadily increased 70% whites, more than 50% for blacks and more than 60% for Hispanics in 2007, (Standford.edu, 2009). In 2014, the employment rate for 20 to 64 years with