social mobility

American  

[soh-shuhl moh-bil-i-tee] / ˈsoʊ ʃəl moʊˈbɪl ɪ ti /

noun

1. Sociology. the movement of people in a population, as from place to place, from job to job, or from one social class or level to another.

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social mobility Cultural  

1. The ability of individuals or groups to move upward or downward in status based on wealth, occupation, education, or some other social variable.

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American society operates on the principle that an individual's achievements can be rewarded by upward social mobility.

Etymology

Origin of social mobility

First recorded in 1925–30

Example Sentences

"And this desire to move is not just physical mobility," it is also "a kind of drive toward economic mobility and above all social mobility," he said.

From Barron's • Jun. 27, 2026

At the time of the revolution, the U.S. drew ambitious people by offering them rights and legal protections, open markets, abundant land, and social mobility.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 26, 2026

The study also raises difficult questions about social mobility and public policy.

From Science Daily • May 6, 2026

"But what we don't have is a coherent approach to social mobility as a useful concept that you can build a strategy around."

From BBC • Dec. 21, 2025

The original exemplar of American social mobility was almost certainly Benjamin Franklin, one of seventeen children of a candle maker.

From "Class Matters" by The New York Times