Peering Ahead

America has always been hailed as the “Land of the Free,” full of opportunity, possibility, and change. These ideals have popularized and surrounded Americans’ social culture since the founding of the country. The Puritans came to America on the Mayflower Compact for religious freedom, for an opportunity to lead a different life, and start over with their own religions and ideals intact. Furthermore, even within the country during the late 19th century, miners flocked to California during the California Gold Rush for the opportunity to strike gold, make more income, and improve their lives. The ideals of opportunity and achieving the American Dream is also shown by the likes of Jay Gatsby in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, as his whole life is dedicated to social mobility, moving up the social ranks in order to get back to how his life was with Daisy just as a wealthier man. This inspired thoughts on the current state of social mobility in the United States and studies at Harvard University and University of California, Berkeley shows that social mobility itself has not changed drastically within fifty years, but the consequences are very different. Analyzing the current state of social mobility is significant because it gives insight on how best to choose the extent and range of one’s dreams.

By analyzing the current state of social mobility, this is not just an isolated topic because there are many factors to consider when designating the percentiles of social mobility for a whole country. In the study conducted by Chetty et. al from Harvard University working in conjunction with UC Berkeley, they show that, “On average, a 10 percentile increase in parent income is associated with a 3.4 percentile increase in a child’s income,” and that social mobility varies across regions within the United States. This study is very comprehensive looking at tax records that go up to 2012 and these researchers have also found that the probability for a child to reach the top percentile from a family in the bottom percentile in Charlotte is 4.1%, but from San Jose this person has a 12.9% percent chance to move up social classes. Moreover, the chance that a child will reach the top fifth of income distribution given parents in the bottom fifth of the income distribution is 8.4 per cent for children born in 1971, compared with nine per cent for those born in 1986. This shows how the current state of social mobility in the United States has not changed drastically from the 1980s, and just as Americans have kept ideals of opportunity as unwavering in their mind, these statistics provide a contrast to show that these opportunities are very limited.

Furthermore, knowing the current state of social mobility is significant because it gives insight into how unwavering the American ideal of available opportunity is, even if this is not necessarily true. The mentality that Americans have towards social mobility is very positive and as the Washington Post stated, “Americans have always placed great faith in economic mobility, the idea that any child born into poverty can grow up to be middle class, or that a middle-class kid can grow up to be rich.” The significance is that the middle class believes highly in social mobility and how class structure can be prone to accept anyone who works hard and puts dedication into their work. Although these factors are positive in nature, one must be careful about interpreting what this data shows. Specifically, because social mobility has not fluctuated greatly from several decades ago to two years prior to 2014, then being able to be in the higher classes within society is not very possible for the greatest number of people. Despite how in America, ideals of opportunity and possibility are championed, the reality is much different in that these opportunities are not achievable by all. As the New York Times frames the top 1 percent of the country as people who have succeeded in the winner-takes-all economy, it is increasingly important for people to know their limitations and to know that the American Dream and social mobility is not easily, and even frequently, achievable by many. This is not a reservation against possibilities for social mobility but by analyzing the data presented, it is significant to educate people to identify and understand their boundaries because this will allow them to have realistic and potential dreams, not hope for unattainable aims, which many people may not feasibly be able to achieve.

Moreover, social mobility is not only consistent over the years within the country but is also lower compared to other foreign countries. The Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development found that the United States ranked below Denmark, Norway, Canada, Finland, Sweden, and Germany in terms of social mobility. Since America has a capitalistic economic system, the gap between the wealthy and poor is already larger than in countries that do not have such strong capitalistic tendencies. Thus, making it harder for people born into lower classes to reach higher classes. Other factors that show why social mobility has not increased in the United States include the wealthier classes may hire external private tutors or provide extracurricular activities, which can hinder the people in the lower classes from achieving certain educational goals, having a stable home environment, and how other countries redistribute wealth through higher taxes also factor into explaining why social mobility in other countries are higher than in the United States. Furthermore, according to a study by Pew Charitable Trust, of people who were born in the lower class, 70% remained in the lower class, 26% rose to upper or middle class, and only 4% made it into the high-earning, wealthier class bracket. This evidence is significant because social mobility is at the deeper core of the common values that characterize this country.

Ideals of perseverance, opportunity, and positive change are integrated within the fabric of the United States. However, by analyzing the current state of social mobility in the country, relative to other nations, the current state is lower, and even within the United States, moving from a lower class to a higher class was not easier over the years. Social mobility was shown to be attainable by only a small percentage or margin of people, and this is significant because this information can lead to insights on the truth behind how much one can achieve. This will provide realistic views on how to best educate people so they may gain greater perspective in hoping for their dreams. Although sustaining a tenacious and insatiable spirit for social mobility for which this country was founded upon is important, it is even more significant to understand and know the realities behind social mobility in order to protect one’s aspirations accordingly and to better shape the goals of the country as the future comes nearer.