State of the Union 2019: Social Mobility

  • American men and women born since 1980—the millennials—have been less upwardly mobile than previous generations of Americans. 
  • The growth of white-collar and professional employment resulted in relatively high occupational status for the parents of millennials. Because that transition raised parents’ status, it set a higher target for millennials to hit. 
  • This target is not frequently hit, in part because the economy is not providing enough opportunities for millennials in the white-collar and professional sectors.

Reference Information

Author: 

Michael Hout
Publisher: 
Stanford Center on Poverty and Inequality
Publication Date: 
June 2019