"How do birthplace, education and social capital affect your chances of succeeding in the 21st century?"
"In many developed countries it’s getting harder to climb the social ladder. In Britain, there is just a 9% chance of a child born in the bottom fifth of income distribution reaching the top fifth. In America, it is 7.5%. The advantages brought by networks, further education, birthplace, cultural references, accent and old-school ties have long been known, but social divisions remain high. What’s gone wrong, and what can be done to level the playing field and increase social mobility?"
Nov 25th 2021
In South Africa, social mobility is even more difficult:
"South Africa's income mobility across generations was among the worst on the index [WEF Social Mobility Index]. According to the report, it would take 9 generations for those born in low-income families to approach the country's mean income, an indication that wealth in SA is concentrated and it is extremely difficult for poor families to escape poverty. "
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