Definition of Downward Mobility
(noun) An individual’s or group’s (e.g., family) fall within the hierarchy that decreases their level of class, power, or status.
Downward Mobility Pronunciation
Syllabification: down·ward mo·bil·i·ty
Audio Pronunciation
Phonetic Spelling
- American English – /dOUn-wuhrd moh-bIl-uh-tee/
- British English – /dOUn-wuhd moh-bIl-i-tee/
International Phonetic Alphabet
- American English – /ˈdaʊnwərd moʊˈbɪləti/
- British English – /ˈdaʊnwəd məʊˈbɪlɪti/
Usage Notes
- Plural: downward mobilities
- The terms “downward mobility” and “downward social mobility” are used interchangeably in a sociological context.
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Additional Information
Related Terms
Works Consulted
Ferrante, Joan. 2011. Sociology: A Global Perspective. 7th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
Griffiths, Heather, Nathan Keirns, Eric Strayer, Susan Cody-Rydzewski, Gail Scaramuzzo, Tommy Sadler, Sally Vyain, Jeff Bry, Faye Jones. 2016. Introduction to Sociology 2e. Houston, TX: OpenStax.
Henslin, James M. 2012. Sociology: A Down-to-Earth Approach. 10th ed. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
Kornblum, William. 2008. Sociology in a Changing World. 8th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
Wikipedia contributors. (N.d.) Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. (https://en.wikipedia.org/).
Cite the Definition of Downward Mobility
ASA – American Sociological Association (5th edition)
Bell, Kenton, ed. 2013. “downward mobility.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Retrieved June 5, 2023 (https://sociologydictionary.org/downward-mobility/).
APA – American Psychological Association (6th edition)
downward mobility. (2013). In K. Bell (Ed.), Open education sociology dictionary. Retrieved from https://sociologydictionary.org/downward-mobility/
Chicago/Turabian: Author-Date – Chicago Manual of Style (16th edition)
Bell, Kenton, ed. 2013. “downward mobility.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Accessed June 5, 2023. https://sociologydictionary.org/downward-mobility/.
MLA – Modern Language Association (7th edition)
“downward mobility.” Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Ed. Kenton Bell. 2013. Web. 5 Jun. 2023. <https://sociologydictionary.org/downward-mobility/>.