Factors of social mobility in British minority groups.

Propositions and concepts are reexamined and modified as a result of the discussion on social mobility. Social structures which are ethnically differentiated give rise to the kind of definition that would apply the label 'minority.' An imbalance arises between aspirations and actual chances of mobility leading as a rule to partial mobility. Social mobility is seen as the movement in social status or social position by individuals of diverse social origins measurable by the occupational index. This is a search for the causal explanation of differential mobility rates between coloured minorities and white minorities. A number of studies have stated and others have implied that the immobility of coloured groups is due to discrimination on grounds of the special racial factor of colour. A factor which influences the social mobility chances of minority groups is the stereotyping or homogenization of attitudes in the receiving country with regard to social class. Another factor is the socio-economic structure and politico-legal condition prevalent in the receiving country. Re-statements of the propositions include that social mobility in terms of socio-economic indicators is not caused by a rigidity in social structure and that it depends on the rank order in which the minority group is.