vertical mobility

American  

noun

Sociology.

1. movement from one social level to a higher one upward mobility or a lower one downward mobility, as by changing jobs or marrying.

2. cultural diffusion from one social level to another, as the adoption by one economic class of the fashions current or formerly current in a higher class.

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vertical mobility British  

noun

1. sociol the movement of individuals or groups to positions in society that involve a change in class, status, and power Compare horizontal mobility See also upward mobility downward mobility

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