Through newly discovered archival sources, including love letters, police records, hospital files and censuses, this article tracks the love story of two young women, Flora and Agnes, a same-sex couple at the turn of the nineteenth century, working in the sex trade. Their story takes us through police arrest, forced hospitalisation and leisure spaces such as dance halls. Historically, Flora and Agnes represent the many sex workers, who engaged in same-sex relations. It has been estimated that as many as 25% of women selling sex in European metropoles were in sapphic relationships, at the turn of the nineteenth century. The article describes the historical entanglement of sapphic love and sex work and provides example of how sapphic love and sapphic communities could provide solidarity and emotional support for sex workers, as well as enable class mobility and fertilised conditions for collective resistance towards authorities. Differently from male same-sex activities, female same-sex engagements were not criminalised in countries like Britain, Germany and Denmark. However, young women, like Flora and Agnes, were heavily surveilled by police and medical doctors, due to contemporary aims to control venereal diseases. We employ the notion of a "disobedient archive" to explore the ways in which historically marginalised subjects, such as young, working class, sapphic sex workers, contested structures of control, power, violence and confinement. Here, we pay attention to everyday acts and practices that challenged oppressive or disciplinary forces, as well as to failed or unsuccessful attempts of resistance. This permits a reading of the archive as a record of struggle and resistance, documenting previously silenced subjects' assertions of presence and agency against institutional control and erasure.

Religious conversion around the world involved not only faith but also social identity, law, politics and various other regional attributes. Although conversion is often understood as a personal spiritual decision, in India it has also been a path toward dignity, social mobility, and resistance within a deeply hierarchical society. This paper explores conversion both as a constitutional freedom and as a lived reality shaped by structural inequality, with particular attention to developments in Southern India. The paper explores not only the history of different forms of conversion but also the sociological and political aspects of the same. A major thinker in this context has been Dr. B. R. Ambedkar who considered that conversion has rarely been only about theology; it has also been about equality and recognition. The second aspect of the paper highlights the constitutional and legal provisions of the same ranging from Articles 14, 21, and 25–28 of the Constitution, the Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order, 1950, and the Supreme Court’s ruling in Rev. Stainislaus v. State of Madhya Pradesh (1977), the paper further highlights a constitutional tension i.e. individuals are free to change their religion, yet may lose affirmative action protections. It calls for a more balanced approach that protects both religious freedom and substantive equality.

ABSTRACT Transnational mobility is typically seen as an opportunity to break out of fixed class positions and facilitate social mobility. However, the availability of parental support remains a persistent if complex determinant of the social mobility opportunities available to young adults who move abroad. The influence of family support and class background on youth social mobility has been clearly recognised in class scholarship in Australia. Yet, this relationship has remained under-examined in transnational mobility contexts, where social mobility has tended to be examined more in relation to young people’s employment opportunities and visa pathways. Seeking to fill this gap, our paper draws together recent scholarship on mobile young adults’ experiences navigating social and class (im)mobility abroad in relation to employment (as this intersects with visas), and a growing body of literature that features the relational and social dimensions of social mobility for migrants. We argue that family support is a critical but overlooked factor in the social mobility of transnationally mobile youth. We explore how it functions not simply as a source of safety and stability, but shapes their economic opportunities and pathways in complex ways that illustrate the relational embeddedness of social mobility for middling mobile youth.

Over the last 30 years, the diversity of male representation in heist films has exploded, encompassing racial diversity, class distinctions, and the binary choice of being a willing participant or coerced in their respective heists. However, women’s representation in heist films remains limited, with a growing gap in representation, especially for Black women within these narratives. Currently, scholars have not yet adequately theorized or engaged with the significance of Black women's representations in the heist film genre. To address this literature gap, this paper critically analyzes representation in heist films that center on Black women like Jackie Brown (Tarantino 1997) and Widows (McQueen 2018). Two major theoretical perspectives inform this filmic analysis. The first is Julian Hanich’s critical study of heist film conventions. Hanich examines key themes of the heist genre, including freedom, social mobility, and spatial access, along with exclusion. Employing Hanich’s scholarship as a framework, my paper reveals that Black women characters transform thematic meanings of the heist film as Hanich’s scholarship starts and ends with male-centric narratives. The second is Katherine McKittrick’s work on Black women and social geography. Considering the geographic nature of the heist film, McKittrick’s study of Black women’s geography—which she defines as the interplay of domination and concealment underscored by the social production of space— illuminates Hanich’s thematic examination of the genre. By using both Hanich’s and McKittrick’s framework, this article focuses on how heist films that center Black women operate as filmic examples of Black women’s geography as these characters transgress the most social boundaries like racialize doubt, get shown more of their characterization to better identify with them, and have an innate knowledge of their social geography by utilizing public space.

ABSTRACT There is considerable interest in the extent to which young people are occupationally mobile in comparison to their parents and the role of education. While previous studies have considered the geography of the young person’s home origin or their geographical mobility, they have not combined these. In this study, we supplement the Longitudinal Study of Young People in England dataset (n = 4893) from 2015 with two additional derived measures – urbanity/rurality and distance from the coast – to explore geographical dimensions of occupational mobility. Our study identified a sustained negative net effect on the chances of being in service class employment for those growing up in urban coastal areas. Young people who stay in their local area are constrained by local employment opportunities. While moving region eliminates the influence of the type of area young people grow up in, movers tend to be more advantaged and those from urban coastal areas generally have a lower propensity to move. Opportunities for social mobility are thus spatially uneven in England, with a unique uplift provided by London. Initiatives to enhance opportunities for social mobility have some distance to travel, particularly in more remote urban coastal areas.

Population distribution and processes of social mobility influenced caste mobility considerably among various castes in colonial Bengal, especially the marginalized ones. Concentration of certain caste groups in given space helped creating occupational diversification, political aspiration, and community consciousness. Such transformation caused emergence of elite groups within marginalized castes who mobilized masses of their respective communities and eventually challenged dominant caste groups. Castes like Namasudra, Rajbanshi, Pod, Mahishya, Telli, and Sadgop have gone through the process during this period. This paper examines the intricate relationship between demographic concentration and caste mobility with focus on how population dynamics influenced the social setup of colonial Bengal at both individual and community levels. This study envisages to understand the mechanisms of social change and mobility and its historical significance in caste-based hierarchical societal framework of precolonial and colonial Bengal.

ABSTRACT Drawing on notarial records preserved in the Arxiu i Biblioteca Episcopal de Vic—including general notarial manuals (from 1230) and the Libri Judeorum (1264–1354)—this article reconstructs the credit practices and family networks of Vic's Jewish community from 1231 to 1391. It argues that lending was structurally embedded in kinship networks, shaping occupational profiles, social mobility, and Christian visual stereotypes of the “usurious Jew.” Beyond the local context, the study contributes to broader debates on Jewish–Christian economic entanglements and kinship’s role in Jewish livelihoods across medieval Catalonia. The documentation reveals the centrality of Jewish lending in cash and in kind, intertwined familial alliances, and marginal trade participation amid Christian elite dominance, alongside occupations such as medicine and artisanry. Drawn representations of Jews in the Libri (1310–1354) provide insight into the intersection of economic practice, visual culture, and interfaith relations in a mid-sized Jewish community of the period.

Does housing wealth inequality affect young adults' happiness and expectations of social mobility? evidence from Seoul, South Korea

Migration studies have discussed the regime of (im)mobility and the impacts of COVID-19 on temporary migrants’ life chances. Fewer studies, however, have examined the potential opportunities, challenges, and consequences based on timescales and spatialities in unusual times, such as COVID-19. This paper focuses on the Australian government’s COVID-19 temporary activity visa (subclass 408)—a contingent visa that allowed temporary migrants whose visas were expiring, and who were unable to depart Australia, to stay and work in Australia until they could return to their home country. Drawing on interviews with 22 temporary migrant workers from China and Taiwan who shifted to this visa for an extended stay, I show how the extended stay in Australia during the lockdowns could be reconfigured into desirable social mobility, yet the extended temporariness and spatial containment also led temporary migrants to be ‘stuck’ in certain jobs and hindered their accumulation of needed capital for the next stage. As a contingent policy response, the migration regime revealed the intent of filling workforce needs without considering policy impacts on migrants’ lives in the longer term. This paper proposes a concept of ‘immobility-mobility nexus’, to illustrate the unique temporariness and spatial experiences associated with the COVID-19 visa.

Urban areas are increasingly coming to the forefront in addressing systemic inequalities caused by complex social, economic, and environmental challenges. The study examines justice-oriented urban development as a transformative framework that prioritizes equity, participation, and sustainability. By ensuring equitable access to quality education, healthcare, public services, affordable housing, and transportation, cities can reduce disparities and promote social mobility. Procedural justice and accountability in governance further strengthen urban systems by fostering trust and supporting inclusive decision-making processes. Global examples such as participatory budgeting, inclusive zoning, and community-driven revitalization projects demonstrate how justice-centered approaches can bridge socio-economic divides and create vibrant urban spaces. Despite these opportunities, the implementation of justice-oriented policies faces significant obstacles, including limited resources, political resistance, and institutional constraints. Overcoming these barriers requires a paradigm shift that positions equity and inclusion as core principles in urban planning and governance. The study argues that justice is not merely an ideal, but also a practical tool for addressing urban inequalities and shaping a more equitable, resilient, and sustainable future. As urban populations grow, cities must adopt innovative and collaborative approaches to transform systemic inequities and empower communities.

Yobe State in Nigeria, marked by socio-economic challenges such as climate variability and poor infrastructure, provides a compelling context for assessing poverty reduction strategies. This study evaluates the effectiveness of the Northeast Arid Zone Development Program (NEAZDP) as a poverty alleviation strategy using 2023 cross-sectional household survey data from 322 households selected through a multi stage sampling technique. Data collection was carried out using a well-structured questionnaire coupled with interview schedules. The analysis employed both the Foster-Greer-Thorbecke (FGT) poverty index and the Alkire-Foster multidimensional poverty index (MPI) to measure poverty. Results reveal that NEAZDP has had a significant impact on reducing both unidimensional and multidimensional poverty among participants. The proportion of beneficiaries below the poverty line decreased substantially during the program, although a slight increase was noted toward the program’s conclusion. Furthermore, multidimensional poverty levels among NEAZDP beneficiaries were significantly lower compared to those in spill-over and control groups, indicating improvements in access to education, healthcare, and income-generating opportunities. Despite these successes, the study identified persistent challenges in areas such as standard of living, empowerment, and environmental sustainability. In conclusion, NEAZDP has made notable progress in enhancing socio-economic conditions and social mobility in Yobe State. However, for its impact to be sustained, there is a need for continuous, targeted interventions and better policy integration. Strengthening these areas can help ensure the long-term success of poverty alleviation efforts and promote inclusive development across the region.

This study looks at how underused metro undercrofts can be repurposed into lively public & community spaces. As Jan Gehl aptly states, "If you invite people to walk more and use public spaces more, you get more life in the city. You get what you invite," highlighting the transformative power of intentional design in transit zones. As cities expand with rising populations and limited land, reusing existing structures offers a strong method for renewal. Metro undercrofts, often unused empty areas beneath elevated metro stations, provides a unique opportunity for creative urban design with respect to community engagement. These areas are often overlooked, but they hold a significant potential for enhancing cityscapes through the creation of public parks, markets, cultural spaces and most importantly, a pedestrian-friendly zone. The research explores how these transit spaces can be transformed to boost local economies, promote social connectivity and support public mobility in the urban areas. The study also investigates the social & economic advantages of these efforts. The paper concludes that well-planned development of the metro undercrofts can be crucial for revitalising cities, creating more liveable, inclusive & interconnected cities.

ABSTRACT Attitudes toward redistribution have been widely studied, yet individuals respond differently to specific policies. Progressive taxation is one of the most effective mechanisms for reducing inequality and fostering more egalitarian societies, but little is known about the psychological factors shaping support for it. People's attitudes toward progressive taxation are influenced by how they perceive the distribution of resources (perceived economic inequality) and the possibility of movement between different socio‐economic strata (social mobility). To analyse both processes, we conducted two exploratory cross‐sectional studies. Study 1 analysed a representative sample from 29 countries ( N = 44,975), and Study 2 examined a stratified Spanish sample ( N = 1536). Higher perceived inequality was associated with stronger support for progressive taxation (i.e., higher taxes on the wealthy). However, this relationship weakened when upward mobility was perceived as likely, suggesting that mobility beliefs can temper the influence of inequality on support for redistributive policies.

Corruption remains one of the most critical challenges hindering socio-economic development worldwide. Its effects are complex and far-reaching, weakening state institutions, eroding public trust, distorting resource allocation, and exacerbating social inequality. This phenomenon negatively impacts both individual quality of life and the broader trajectory of national development. The socio-economic consequences of corruption manifest at multiple levels. At the micro-level, it contributes to increased poverty and inequality, as well as the deterioration of essential public services such as healthcare and education. At the macro level, corruption undermines national competitiveness, reduces foreign and domestic investment, impedes innovation, and leads to the inefficient use of public funds. This study examines the multifaceted impact of corruption on society and the economy, with a particular focus on the Republic of Kazakhstan. Despite ongoing reforms and modernization efforts, corruption remains a serious obstacle to strengthening institutions, improving governance, and achieving sustainable economic growth. The legacy of the Soviet administrative system and the complexities of transitioning to a market economy have created structural conditions that facilitate corrupt practices. These issues are common across post-Soviet states, but they are particularly evident in Kazakhstan. In the Kazakhstani context, corruption hampers infrastructure development, diminishes the quality of public services, and reinforces social stratification. As a result, public confidence in government institutions is weakened, while long-term development prospects are curtailed. The inefficient allocation of state resources, limited innovation, and declining investment attractiveness collectively contribute to stagnation in living standards and reduced social mobility. This research aims to analyze the socio-economic implications of corruption in Kazakhstan, identify key drivers behind its persistence, and assess its broader effects on national progress. The findings are intended to inform future anticorruption strategies and support the development of more transparent and accountable governance.

This study tested whether parents' social mobility is associated with parent-child interactions. Data came from 719 Dunedin Parenting Study members (mean age: 32.7; 52.3% female, 90.2% New Zealand European ethnicity) who have been followed from birth to midlife and participated in parenting assessments with their 3-year-old children (50% female). Upwardly mobile parents provided more sensitive parenting and cognitively stimulating environments than parents from stable-low socioeconomic backgrounds, but less sensitive parenting and cognitively stimulating environments than parents from stable-high socioeconomic backgrounds. These results were not fully explained by pre-existing differences between parents in experienced parenting and childhood characteristics. Our findings underscore the importance of supporting families with fewer socioeconomic resources through a life-course and intergenerational approach to caregiving environments.

Background: Intertrochanteric femur fractures in elderly patients are linked with significant morbidity, premature decline in function and fixation failure in osteoporotic bone. Intramedullary devices decrease the bending moment and could allow earlier mobilization. PFN has a double screw construct, while PFNA2 has a helical blade that is designed to have better purchase in osteoporotic cancellous bone and lessen rotational instability. The present study is a prospective study comparing PFN vs PFNA2 for elderly patients with AO/OTA 31-A2 intertrochanteric fracture. Methods: In this prospective comparative study, 84 consecutive elderly patients (age >=60 years) with AO/ OTA 31-A2 fractures were treated with PFN (n=42) or PFNA2 (n=42) at a tertiary trauma center over 18 months. Primary outcomes were functional score (Harris Hip Score-HHS) upto 6 months and fixation failure. Operative time, blood loss, fluoroscopy Time, Time to union, and complications were secondary outcomes. Continuous variables were analyzed using independent-samples t-test or Mann-Whitney U test and categorical variables: ISW peroxidase test using chi-square/Fisher exact test. p<0.05 was significant. Results: Groups were similar with regard to age, sex, ASA class, fracture subtype, and baseline mobility. PFNA2 showed less operative time (54.8 sometime of 11.2 vs. 63.6 time of 12.5 minutes; p=0.001), lower estimating blood loss (164 mL of 58 vs. 198 mL of 72; p=0.018) and force dose of fluoroscopy (58 seconds of 14 vs. 71 seconds of 18; p<0.001). Mean radiographic union time was marginally less with PFNA2, 13.2 at 2.6 weeks versus 14.1 at 2.9 weeks (p=0.12). It was used less times with PFNA2 (2.4% vs 11.9%; p=0.09) to fix a buttonhole. HHS was in favor of PFNA2 at 6-months (82.7 +- 8.9 vs 78.1 +- 9.6; p=0.028). Conclusion: In elderly AO/OTA 31-A2 intertrochanteric fractures, PFNA2 was associated with superior early functional results and a more efficient intraoperative feature with a trend to less mechanical failures. Optimization of reduction quality and position of implant is critical to reduce cut-out and reoperation.

This article examines a range of recent autosociobiographical representations of and by working-class women in the contemporary UK, focusing on Rain Dogs , Chewing Gum and Alma’s Not Normal . It argues that what unites these different representations – all of which are TV comedy-dramas, some with connecting iterations as memoir and play – is a vigorous critique and rejection of the neoliberal meritocratic dream. These representations show that the idea of a level playing field in which working hard to activate talent results in success is simply not a possibility for most working-class women: upwards social mobility is a joke. Yet crucially, this situation is not simply portrayed as a thwarted tragedy of the downtrodden, or as poverty porn in the tradition of reality TV. Instead, through life-affirming exuberant comedy, they show how the wider socio-political landscape is unjust while energetically refusing to accept its limits or internalise its stigma: they ‘reject respectability’. Unlike the majority of autosociobiographies, these representations primarily use a comedic tone. Their focus is not on ‘escape’, ‘transcendence’ or the aspiration for a middle-class life, but on the complexities of working-class lives as lived in context, and on critiquing institutional structures. They do value collective community support and crave the security of putting a ‘social floor’ on their circumstances, of not having to constantly worry about losing everything. Considering why the televisual is a useful vehicle for these narratives, the article asks: what do these women’s exuberant rejections of neoliberal meritocracy and bourgeois standards of judgement indicate about the wider cultural, social and political context, or current conjuncture?

ABSTRACT Belonging within organizations is often assumed to be a stable outcome of formal inclusion practices, yet for individuals from marginalized social locations it is frequently experienced as fragile and uncertain. This study explores the lived meaning of organizational belonging anxiety among first-generation learners from rural backgrounds. Adopting a phenomenological—hermeneutical approach inspired by Ricoeur, the study interprets narratives of everyday organizational participation to elucidate how belonging and absence are experienced and made meaningful. In-depth narrative interviews were conducted with first-generation rural employees working in diverse organizational contexts, and the texts were analyzed through naïve reading, structural interpretation, and comprehensive understanding. The findings reveal organizational belonging anxiety as a persistent, anticipatory orientation toward organizational life, characterized by vigilance, silence, gratitude-inflected endurance, and burdened aspiration. Belonging was experienced as conditional and reversible, shaped by unequal access to informal networks, tacit knowledge, and symbolic recognition. Rather than reflecting individual insecurity, organizational belonging anxiety emerged as a relational and biographically informed response to organizational participation under conditions of cultural mismatch and social mobility. By conceptualizing belonging anxiety as a life-world phenomenon, the study extends organizational research on inclusion and highlights the value of phenomenological—hermeneutical inquiry for understanding marginalized work experiences.

ABSTRACT Higher education serves as a tool to foster social mobility; however, some groups of students may benefit from it more. The massification of higher education has led to opening access for first-generation students (FGS), who previously were underrepresented in universities. Although many studies point to significant difficulties of FGS in integrating into a new, more prestigious environment, as well as challenges in building social connections, there is no strong empirical evidence of whether FGS struggle with social integration more than continuing-generation students (CGS). This study aims to investigate the factors that hinder or facilitate students’ ability to build social networks and establish peer relationships. We utilise longitudinal data from eight Russian universities (N = 1187) to compare social integration of FGS and CGS in two dimensions – friendship and study collaboration. Both FGS and CGS benefit from forming new social ties, but their patterns differ. FGS tend to have weaker study collaboration, likely due to limited access to supportive peers. While forming new connections enhances integration for both groups, FGS face challenges in initiating these ties, which restricts their ability to build friendships. In contrast, CGS utilise their existing social capital to strengthen its collaborative learning through established connections.

Purpose Does mentoring enhance social mobility potential? With UK higher education (HE) regulators demanding more evidence-based funding decisions, this study explores how social diversity influences mentoring processes and outcomes for undergraduates on a HE career mentoring scheme. Design/methodology/approach This mixed-methodology case study uses quantitative surveys to compare mentee gains by socioeconomic status (SES) and explores mentoring influences via 12 semi-structured interviews with employer–alumni mentors and mentees. Findings Low-SES mentees secured more psychosocial and, at least, comparable career development gains but experienced more negative affect when feeling inferior during partial mentor identification. The themes of “outcomes”, “interaction” and “antecedents” reveal a multi-level mentoring system. Social diversity, via habitus, interacts with social structures to deliver low-SES mentee gains but diminishes career aspiration. Performance mastery supports prospective social mobility but does not overpower habitus. Conversely, this system raises high-SES mentee aspiration, creating ethical dilemmas. Research limitations/implications The quantitative results provide transferability and focus on prospective social mobility. Faulty feedback loops limit mentor outcome assessment. Practical implications The findings require systems thinking in scheme managers and the raising of participant class consciousness. Participant reflexivity, normalising emotion sharing and mentor scaffolding of mentee agency need fostering. Scheme design should be enhanced by mentee peer support and longer-term evaluation of outcomes. Originality/value This study is potentially the first for this scheme type to compare mentee outcomes by SES and explore SES influence. It refines mentoring conceptualisation around duration, power and effectiveness and encourages funding.