Shanty Town Residents In Intergenerational Mobility Research

This thesis adopts the positive research approach to analyze the intergenerational social mobility of the Penghu Block dwellers, which consists of five parts. In part one, the paper discusses the importance of research on the intergenerational social mobility of the Penghu Block dwellers.In part two, the thesis reviews many correlated theories about poor community and social mobility in and abroad in brief., and puts forward explaining the frame of the intergenerational social mobility of the Penghu Block dwellers by structural factors and non-structural factors.In part three, the paper applies the index of intergenerational occupation hereditary rates, same occupational rates, fluidity rates, inflow mobility rates, outflow mobility rates, upward mobility rates, downward mobility rates, general mobility rates, opening rates and occupational mobility range to scale the level of intergenerational mobility of natives in C Village, and discovers that the general mobility level is rather low. The upward mobility level is far lower than the average level of Shanghai and the whole country. However, the downward mobility level is much higher.In part four, the thesis analyzes the Penghu Block dwellers' realization of the social status and obstacles of mobility in particular. It points out that the main channels for slum dwellers to flow upwards are to educate and join the party. The connection between individual and society is the forever subject in sociological research. The change of the society and the history will affect the individual life course more or less. This part analyzes the dwellers' social mobility in C Village by both structural factors and non-structural factors. And it proves that the structural factors such as the important historical event, the character of the community and regional culture etc. with the non-structural factors will together affect the social mobility of the Penghu Block dwellers. Their fate is closely linked with the alteration of policies of the county. In short, they had less opportunity to accept education when they should. While the country policies emphasize the importance of education, theyhave to engage in simple work with less knowledge or technology. The regional culture exists in the Penghu Block affects their upward mobility and segregates them from other citizens, which make them get used to living in the bottom, lack of the momentum to promote themselves and at the same time affect their promotion in these fields such as marriage and labor market. This research also discovers that the father's education and occupation has little effect on the son's occupation. The influence from background of family on son's occupation is more by culture than by economy.In part five, it summarizes the paper in brief.