null The price of social mobility - a discussion with key researchers in the field

The guests of the autumn session of the interdisciplinary discussion series launched by the Minority Ombudsman were Dr. Judit Durst and Dr. Zsanna Nyírő, sociologists and researchers of the HUN-REN TK Institute for Minority Research, who gave a presentation and held a discussion on the complex processes of social mobility for the Secretariat of the Minority Ombudsman and colleagues of the co-departments.

The researchers have been studying the social situation of first-generation graduates and the complex consequences of class mobility for many years, and their work has focused in particular on the situation of Roma people and the extraordinary challenges they face. The results of their research, as well as related studies by other experts, will be made available to the wider public in 2023 under the title "The cost of social mobility". For the studies included in this volume, the researchers conducted 175 interviews with first-generation graduates, 105 of whom were of Roma origin.

 

Among other things, the authors have examined the extent and pace of mobility, opportunities for labour market positioning, the development of habitus and identity, and the motivations for partner choice. They have looked at the determinants of the initial stage of mobility, such as family of origin, geographical location, social class and minority group. They also summarised the functioning of the education system and related support programmes and their impact on the life course. The studies challenge the meritocratic myth of success in individual life paths by revealing the individual struggles within them through the shaping forces of social structure and the impact of social processes. The authors found that members of the group concerned have a pioneering role to play in achieving a more just society, even if many of them do not otherwise engage in charitable or advocacy work, focusing solely on their own careers and personal lives. In doing so, they show the outside world that the glass ceiling on mobility can be broken.

To find out more, listen to Qubit's podcast 2023, published in November:

https://qubit.hu/2023/11/09/egyszerre-aldas-es-atok

The technical details of the studies can also be found in the aforementioned volume; Ábel Bereményi, Judit Durst, Zsanna Nyírő. Gondolat Publishing House, 2023.