The complex nature of modern social mobility.For the left and many of my friends social mobility has been limited by the serious problem of bad public schools. For the right social mobility is taken for granted as we see the rapid change in status of movie stars, sports stars, and the heads of large corporations who often came from a different social standing than where they ended. All of this means that social mobility is complex and that trying to score points politically is probably easier than really analyzing social mobility in its complexity. Let’s start by acknowledging that history is no guide to social mobility. I spent much of my professional carrier studying Winston Churchill. Great Britain before WWI had little or no social mobility and it was easier for an American heist like Jennie Jerome, Winston Churchill’s mother, to marry into British society than for an average British woman to move up. Pygmalion, the great British play (that was eventually the basis of My Fair Lady,) showed how social mobility was based on many different aspects of British society including language, posture, and actions. In this country I believe social mobility was not anywhere near as fixed as it was in Great Britain but social mobility was really accelerated in the post World War 2 period. The GI Bill and the expansion of colleges meant that many people moved and social mobility accelerated. The public educational system worked well in the 1950’s and 1960’s to provide an educated work force for growing American economy. During the 1970’s stagflation and income stagnation meant that Woman entered the work force in large numbers to preserve the family income. Two earner families meant that social mobility continued but it also meant that many other problems would emerge including the problems in public education. From the 1970’s until today public education has fallen behind and is probably the source of much of the drop in social mobility. Yet, couples who marry, stay together and are reasonably healthy have maintained their positions in society. Single mothers, Divorce, and many other factors make it easy to fall down the economic scale. Because of Junior/community colleges Americans have the ability to reinvent themselves. They have the opportunity to flourish. I know some think social mobility has been limited but I remember a former car pool partner who was Belgian and how much he was amazed by how many opportunities America presented and how much Americans could just get ahead by working hard. I will right more about this as I research more about it but after yesterday I wanted to write more about it.For the left and many of my friends social mobility has been limited by the serious problem of bad public schools. For the right social mobility is taken for granted as we see the rapid change in status of movie stars, sports stars, and the heads of large corporations who often came from a different social standing than where they ended. All of this means that social mobility is complex and that trying to score points politically is probably easier than really analyzing social mobility in its complexity. Let’s start by acknowledging that history is no guide to social mobility. I spent much of my professional carrier studying Winston Churchill. Great Britain before WWI had little or no social mobility and it was easier for an American heist like Jennie Jerome, Winston Churchill’s mother, to marry into British society than for an average British woman to move up. Pygmalion, the great British play (that was eventually the basis of My Fair Lady,) showed how social mobility was based on many different aspects of British society including language, posture, and actions. In this country I believe social mobility was not anywhere near as fixed as it was in Great Britain but social mobility was really accelerated in the post World War 2 period. The GI Bill and the expansion of colleges meant that many people moved and social mobility accelerated. The public educational system worked well in the 1950’s and 1960’s to provide an educated work force for growing American economy. During the 1970’s stagflation and income stagnation meant that Woman entered the work force in large numbers to preserve the family income. Two earner families meant that social mobility continued but it also meant that many other problems would emerge including the problems in public education. From the 1970’s until today public education has fallen behind and is probably the source of much of the drop in social mobility. Yet, couples who marry, stay together and are reasonably healthy have maintained their positions in society. Single mothers, Divorce, and many other factors make it easy to fall down the economic scale. Because of Junior/community colleges Americans have the ability to reinvent themselves. They have the opportunity to flourish. I know some think social mobility has been limited but I remember a former car pool partner who was Belgian and how much he was amazed by how many opportunities America presented and how much Americans could just get ahead by working hard. I will right more about this as I research more about it but after yesterday I wanted to write more about it.

For the left and many of my friends social mobility has been limited by the serious problem of bad public schools. For the right social mobility is taken for granted as we see the rapid change in status of movie stars, sports stars, and the heads of large corporations who often came from a different social standing than where they ended. All of this means that social mobility is complex and that trying to score points politically is probably easier than really analyzing social mobility in its complexity.

Let’s start by acknowledging that history is no guide to social mobility. I spent much of my professional carrier studying Winston Churchill. Great Britain before WWI had little or no social mobility and it was easier for an American heist like Jennie Jerome, Winston Churchill’s mother, to marry into British society than for an average British woman to move up. Pygmalion, the great British play (that was eventually the basis of My Fair Lady,) showed how social mobility was based on many different aspects of British society including language, posture, and actions.

In this country I believe social mobility was not anywhere near as fixed as it was in Great Britain but social mobility was really accelerated in the post World War 2 period. The GI Bill and the expansion of colleges meant that many people moved and social mobility accelerated. The public educational system worked well in the 1950’s and 1960’s to provide an educated work force for growing American economy.

During the 1970’s stagflation and income stagnation meant that Woman entered the work force in large numbers to preserve the family income. Two earner families meant that social mobility continued but it also meant that many other problems would emerge including the problems in public education. From the 1970’s until today public education has fallen behind and is probably the source of much of the drop in social mobility.

Yet, couples who marry, stay together and are reasonably healthy have maintained their positions in society. Single mothers, Divorce, and many other factors make it easy to fall down the economic scale.

Because of Junior/community colleges Americans have the ability to reinvent themselves. They have the opportunity to flourish. I know some think social mobility has been limited but I remember a former car pool partner who was Belgian and how much he was amazed by how many opportunities America presented and how much Americans could just get ahead by working hard. I will right more about this as I research more about it but after yesterday I wanted to write more about it.