The Association between Intergenerational Class Mobility and Income Inequality Revisited: a Topological Approach

Research on the association between intergenerational social class mobility and income inequality has yielded inconclusive results. This study seeks to clarify this association by examining whether income inequality impacts different class mobility transitions differently. Using data on individuals born between 1955 and 1987 across 15 Western European countries, I characterize mobility transitions using three types of “effects” from a topological model: class hierarchy, class inheritance, and status affinity. To capture the potential influence of income inequality on mobility decisions at different life stages, I measure it at the secondary school choice (age 15), during the school-to-work transition (ages 15-25), and during the primary working age (ages 25-55). The results indicate that greater income inequality is associated with more limited vertical mobility between the salariat and the working class and stronger inheritance propensity among individuals from the high salariat and entrepreneurial families, especially when measuring income inequality during the primary working age. Although the effect of rising income inequality is limited to the mobility transitions where inequalities in relative mobility chances are most pronounced, its negative consequences fall on individuals in the most disadvantaged class positions seeking to improve their social position.