Social Mobility and Vocational Outcomes: A Psychology of Working Perspective

Abstract

The current study was aimed at understanding how social mobility relates to vocational outcomes. Drawing from Psychology of Working Theory (PWT), social mobility was operationalized as changes in experiences of economic constraints and marginalization between childhood and adulthood. We used latent profile analysis to create profiles among a sample of employed adults ( N = 533) and compared profile membership to PWT informed outcomes: work volition, career adaptability, and decent work. The five profiles of social mobility that emerged were as follows: sustained privilege (low levels of marginalization and economic constraints during childhood and adulthood), downward mobility (low levels of marginalization and economic constraints in childhood, high levels in adulthood), upward mobility (high levels of marginalization and economic constraints in childhood, low levels in adulthood), highly marginalized (high levels of marginalization at both points), and sustained barriers (high levels of marginalization and economic constraints in childhood and adulthood). Participants who belonged to the sustained privilege and upward mobility groups experienced greater work volition and decent work compared to those in groups who experienced higher levels of economic constraints and marginalization throughout their lives. Implications for research and practice are discussed.