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2. Acts as a Safety-Valve:
According to S.M. Upset and R. Bendix, providing opportunity for social mobility virtually means
creating a ‘safety-valve’ to escape from the dangers. Since the lower classes are provided with
an open chance to enhance their social statuses or to enter into the status- positions of other
upper class people by means of their performances; they do not normally organise themselves
to dislodge the upper-class people of their statuses. Social mobility becomes inevitable and
essential from this point of view.
3. Social Justice:
D. V. Glass and others have felt that providing equal chances or opportunities for social mobility
for all social classes is a democratic commitment. According to them, a democratic society has
to depend upon “an eagalitarian opportunity structure “.
4. Job Satisfaction:
Most of the instances of social mobility are occupational in character. In the traditional societies
[for example, traditional caste society] occupations are normally hereditary in character and
hence children are obliged to follow the occupations of their parents whether they have a liking
for it or not. Now in modern industrial society things are different.
People need not stick on to their parental occupations. They have a vast opportunity and
freedom to change their occupations. This opportunity for job selection or change has
contributed to their job satisfaction.
Upward mobility is linked with upwardly mobile person who exhibits more prejudice against low-
status people than do non-mobile individuals at the same level. Some studies have even found
that a high rate of mental illness may accompany either upward or downward mobility.
Mental anxiety and tension also goes with downward mobility. In fact, a number of studies have
reported that downward mobility is associated with many unpleasant accompaniments, such as
poor health, marital discord and feelings of alienation and social distance. But these studies
have not properly identified the cause and effect relationship.
Such unpleasant developments could be either a cause or an effect of downward mobility.