A Cohort Study On Closure Of The Social Stratum Structure

The concept of"social stratum structure"is used to analyze the social structure ina static way, and the concept"social mobility"analyze the social structure in adynamic way. Both of the two concepts are very important research topics insociology. Since the Reform and Opening-up, China's social class structure changeddramatically. In the varieties of perspectives in the bottom of social structure,there is aconsensus, that is, there is an urgent requirement of restructuring for the bottom. Thisrestructurement means that an individual can flow upward. However, the mobility ofcurrent society has got a closure,which hampers the realization of bottom individuals'upward mobility. Firstly, by structured interviews towarding a cohort, this paper wasaware of that their family backgrounds, accesses to occupation and social status areimportant factors in flowing upward.It explain the occupational differences in thiscohort.Secondly, the paper analyzed: the mechanisms of closure of social mobility,including education system, household registration system and the growth mechanismof the wealth of contemporary society; and the function of closure of social moblityinsocial operation, in order to provide scientific advice to reasonable restructurement.The samples in the interviews own high similarity: the same college, the same major,the same grade, the same class, verysimilar school education and growth environment,but very different status of occupation after graduation.It was sure that this kinddivision are quite related to individual effort, skill levels and opportunities. But in thisstudy, the author analized this division in terms of the difference in interviewees'family background. Thirdly, from the microcosmic occupational division of cohortmembers, this paper came to the macroscopic mechanism factors that obstructedbottom individual upwarding mobility. The focus of this paper was the obstacles thathampered the bottom upwarding mobility, in which the "difficulty" was named"closure of social mobility". And this is the core concept to be discussed.In conclusion,this paper thought that unequal access to education, urban and rural social structureand the division of wealth growth mechanism were the main reasons that has causedthe closure of social mobility.