Perceptions of Upward Social Mobility Among the Children of Immigrants

• In Event: 3251 - Section on International Migration Refereed Roundtables (1 hour)
  In Refereed Roundtable 60min: 15. Life Course and Historical Perspectives

Abstract

This article compares the subjective understanding of success and socioeconomic mobility of three second generation groups, Mexicans in the US, North African in France and Turks in Germany. Accounting for the desire for upward social mobility among members of the three groups, we investigate how children of immigrants perceive their social positions including their educational experiences and early labor market experiences. Despite their disadvantaged position, Mexican Americans regard their experiences as considerable success given their significant departure from their parents’ meagre statuses and ability to fulfil expectations set within a materialist and consumerist society. French North Africans, on the other hand, emphasize their limited ability to experience upward mobility as a result of the restrictions imposed on them by French society and especially schools in a context that strongly values formal credentials. Children of immigrants from Turkey by comparison put faith in the tracking system as a conduit to good, stable jobs, but encounter labor market discrimination when they finish their studies.

Authors

• Dalia Abdelhady, Lund University

• Amy Lutz, Syracuse University