Socio-Economic Mobility of Youth: Factors, Obstacles, and Potential Solutions

Andrew Leon Hanna

doi:10.5195/jyd.2015.420

Abstract

In the face of record levels of youth unemployment and starkly unequal opportunities to climb the socioeconomic ladder, young people are facing difficult challenges. From early childhood to young adulthood, there are several key obstacles to socioeconomic mobility that emerge. These include availability of early childhood education, level of peer support during adolescence, secondary school funding and quality, and skills development and job matching as a young adult. This article explores the dynamics of these critical obstacles, analyzes initiatives that are successfully helping young people overcome these obstacles around the world, and makes policy suggestions to create a society in which young people have strong opportunities to fulfill their potentials and advance socioeconomically. The article focuses on the state of socioeconomic mobility of young people in the United States, drawing on examples of successful models from all over the globe.

Highlights

A Generation Fervently Seeking OpportunityThe youth of today – the Millennial Generation – are facing unprecedented challenges and obstacles
Over half of young people are unemployed in the nations of Greece, South Africa, and Spain, and the regions of Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East tend to have youth unemployment levels of around 25% or more (Mourshed, Farrell, & Barton, 2012)
Steven Barnett of the National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) indicates that quality preschool programs can make a major difference in the lives of young people and their potential to move up the socioeconomic ladder

Summary

Introduction

A Generation Fervently Seeking OpportunityThe youth of today – the Millennial Generation – are facing unprecedented challenges and obstacles. Skills development during higher education Even if a student is enrolled and successful in graduating from college, this does not mean that his or her upward socioeconomic mobility is ensured; the reality indicates that this is very far from the truth.

Results

Conclusion