Question

Has your family experienced significant upward or downward mobility over the past three or four generations? How do you think your values and behavior might differ had you experienced the opposite pattern of mobility? How might it have been different had your family been of a different ethnic or racial origin?

Answer 1

My family has experienced significant upward mobility, which I can trace to my maternal grandparents. My grandfather hailed from a poor family and was the first one to be educated. He was able to land himself a well-paying job, with the help of which he ensured that my grandmother completed her education as well. By the time my mother was born, my maternal grandparents were leading quite comfortable lives. Of course, this privilege was also passsed down to me when I was born.

My values with respect to my career goals would certainly be very different had my grandparents experienced downward mobility. I would imagine that my mother would grow up poor and also marry a poor man. As s child of a poor family, I would dedicate myself more towards attaining wealth to meet my family needs over other things. If I happened to belong to a minority racial or ethnic community, my resolve would be stronger and perhaps the effort I would need to put in would be much more.