A Study of Cultural Factors Influencing Social Mobility

Social mobility is defined as the displacement of individuals and groups between social classes or different occupation status. In this study, the impact of cultural factors, especially the work ethic and cultural capital on social mobility within a generation and between generations was investigated. Our finding indicates that 32.7 % of men of 35 to 64 years old in Tehran, have experienced upward mobility, 60 % have stayed the same and 5.8% of respondents have experienced downward mobility.
In addition, 49.83% of respondents had Inter-generation upward mobility. Downward Inter-generation mobility includes 22.1%, of respondents and 28% of them did not mention any mobility between two generations. Adjusted R Square in inter-generational mobility Regression is more than 69% and in Intra-generation model is over 15% and both of them are statistically significant. Among the variables of the research conceptual model: 1 - family economic capital ,2- family cultural capital ,3- Respondent's cultural capital and 4 - work ethics, first work ethics and then cultural capital had more direct effect in path analysis of social mobility.