Subjective social mobility: Definitions and expectations of ‘moving up’ of poor Moroccan women in the Netherlands

Abstract

Social mobility is most commonly measured in terms of occupational prestige or educational attainment. Alternative approaches to social mobility can mostly be found in qualitative research. However, these approaches also often conceptualize social mobility as attainment of occupational status or educational degrees. Interpreting the narratives of Moroccan migrant women in the Netherlands, alternative definitions of social mobility are discerned that go beyond formal schooling or paid work and which contribute to a broader definition of class and ‘social upgrading’. What is striking is how the women subscribe to dominant definitions of mobility for their children and have alternative definitions for themselves that are grounded in their social context.