2008

Social Mobility in Italy since the Beginning of the Twentieth Century

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The article deals with the main features of social mobility
processes in contemporary Italy and their changes during the
twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. Both absolute
(intergenerational and career) mobility and patterns of associations
between class of origin and destination in three birth cohorts are
studied. The analyses confirm a quite modest shift towards greater
social fluidity in the allocation of individuals among the different
occupational positions. Nevertheless, ascription still prevails over
achievement, and this prevalence is strengthened by the process of
family formation, which is based on rather effective mechanisms
of social closure. [JEL Classification: J62, C10]

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