Upward social mobility and life satisfaction: the cases of United Kingdom and Switzerland

in Longitudinal and Life Course Studies (2015), 6(3), 13-14

Status is a major determinant of subjective well-being (SWB). This is one of the primary assumptions of social production function theory. In contrast, the dissociative hypothesis holds that upward social ... [more ▼]

Status is a major determinant of subjective well-being (SWB). This is one of the primary assumptions of social production function theory. In contrast, the dissociative hypothesis holds that upward social mobility may be linked to identity problems, cognitive distress, and reduced levels of SWB because of lost ties to one’s class of origin. In our paper, we use panel data from the United Kingdom (British Household Panel Survey) and Switzerland (Swiss Household Panel) to test these hypotheses. These two countries are compared because historically, social inequality and upward mobility have played distinct roles in each country’s popular discourse. We conduct longitudinal multilevel analyses to gauge the effects of intragenerational and intergenerational upward mobility on life satisfaction (as a cognitive component of SWB), controlling for previous levels of life satisfaction, dynamic class membership, and well-researched determinants of SWB such as age and health problems. Our results provide some evidence for effects of social class and social mobility on well-being in the UK sample, however, there are no such effects in the Swiss sample. The UK findings support the idea of dissociative effects, that is, intergenerational upward mobility is negatively associated with SWB. [less ▲]

Die politische Dimension der Bildung. Zu Jutta Allmendinger: „Bildungsarmut: Zur Verschränkung von Bildungs- und Sozialpolitik“

in Soziale Welt: Zeitschrift für Sozialwissenschaftliche Forschung und Praxis (2014), Sonderband 21

Intergenerationale Werteähnlichkeit, Distanz zu gesellschaftlichen Mainstream-Werten und subjektives Wohlbefinden von MigrantInnen

in Weiss, Hilde; Schnell, Philipp; Gülay, Ates (Eds.) Zwischen den Generationen. Transmissionsprozesse in Familien mit Migrationshintergrund (2014)

Intergenerationale Wertetransmissionsprozesse – und damit auch die Ähnlichkeit zwischen den Werteprioritäten der Eltern und denen der Kinder als Produkt dieser Prozesse – sind essentiell für die ... [more ▼]

Intergenerationale Wertetransmissionsprozesse – und damit auch die Ähnlichkeit zwischen den Werteprioritäten der Eltern und denen der Kinder als Produkt dieser Prozesse – sind essentiell für die Reproduktion der Kultur einer Gesellschaft. Ein wesentliches Motiv, die Werthaltungen der Eltern bzw. der Gesellschaft zu übernehmen, kann aus der rationalen Perspektive der Theorie der sozialen Produktionsfunktionen (Ormel et al. 1999) darin gesehen werden, dass über Verhaltensbestätigung subjektives Wohlbefinden produziert werden kann. Die Dimension der Verhaltensbestätigung wird als „the feeling of doing ‚the right thing‘ in the eyes of relevant others (including yourself)“ (Lindenberg 2002, S. 649) beschrieben, wobei dies auch die Übereinstimmung hinsichtlich verhaltensrelevanter Normen und Werten von Bezugspersonen und –gruppen beinhaltet. [less ▲]

Special Issue: Gender and educational achievement

in Educational Research (2014), 56(2),

Inégalités de formation lors de l’accès à l’enseignement supérieur selon le sexe et le contexte migratoire: résultats de l’analyse des situations suisse, allemande et française

in Schweizerische Zeitschrift für Bildungswissenschaften (2013), 35(3), 493-513

The paper deals with the transition to Higher Education focusing on educational inequalities at the intersection of gender and migrant background. At the core of the analyses, theorized referring to ... [more ▼]

The paper deals with the transition to Higher Education focusing on educational inequalities at the intersection of gender and migrant background. At the core of the analyses, theorized referring to decision theory, is a comparison of Switzerland (TREE), Germany (HIS-Studienberechtigte 2002) and France (Panel d’élèves du second degré 1995). Results indicate increased transition rates to Higher Education for second-generation males from some socially disadvantaged migrant groups for Switzerland and Germany, if controlled for social origin. Evidence confirming a female disadvantage for second generation females originating from countries characterised by a rather patriarchal culture were not found in any of the countries under consideration. [less ▲]

Migration Background and Subjective Well-Being A Multilevel Analysis Based on the European Social Survey

in Comparative Sociology (2013), 12

Contributing to the debate on the integration of migrants in Europe, this study focuses on Subjective Well-Being (SWB) of people with migration backgrounds compared to people without a migration ... [more ▼]

Contributing to the debate on the integration of migrants in Europe, this study focuses on Subjective Well-Being (SWB) of people with migration backgrounds compared to people without a migration background – specifying SWB in terms of successful integration. The analyses employ a multilevel perspective (data base: European Social Survey). On the macro level, gross domestic product (GDP), welfare regime, xenophobia and the migrant integration policy index (MIPEX) are considered; on the micro level, social origin, education, unemployment, income deprivation, relationship status, health status and controls. Findings indicate a disadvantage in SWB of first-generation migrants that goes beyond deficits regarding well-studied SWB determinants. The SWB gap between migrants and nonmigrants is larger in countries with a high GDP and smaller in countries with a high MIPEX score. [less ▲]

Überschneidungen von Bildungsungleichheiten nach Geschlecht und Migrationshintergrund. Eine theoretische und empirische Hinführung

in Hadjar, Andreas; Hupka-Brunner, Sandra (Eds.) Geschlecht, Migrationshintergrund und Bildungserfolg (2013)

Rapport d'expertise sur le bilan de la réforme de l'école fondamentale

Report (2013)

Bildungsungleichheiten beim Hochschulzugang nach Geschlecht und Migrationshintergrund. Befunde aus der Schweiz und aus Frankreich

in Hadjar, Andreas; Hupka-Brunner, Sandra (Eds.) Geschlecht, Migrationshintergrund und Bildungserfolg (2013)

Schulerfolg, Schulentfremdung und das Verhalten der Lehrkräfte

Article for general public (2013)