the ability of individuals or groups to move within a social hierarchy with changes in income, education, occupation, etc.
The ability of individuals or groups to move upward or downward in status based on wealth, occupation, education, or some other social variable.
Note: American society operates on the principle that an individual's achievements can be rewarded by upward social mobility.
movement of individuals, families, or groups through a system of social hierarchy or stratification. If such mobility involves a change in position, especially in occupation, but no change in social class, it is called "horizontal mobility." An example would be a person who moves from a managerial position in one company to a similar position in another. If, however, the move involves a change in social class, it is called "vertical mobility" and involves either "upward mobility" or "downward mobility." An industrial worker who becomes a wealthy businessman moves upward in the class system; a landed aristocrat who loses everything in a revolution moves downward in the system