Generational Approach and Social Mobility: OED analysis through Generations X and Y

This work focuses on intergenerational differences in social and status mobility within and between the Italian Generation X and Y. Using the European Social Survey data from 2000 and 2020 waves, the aim is to explore two distinct groups of the same age in terms of their Origins, Education, and Destination path (OED). This approach emphasises phenomena directly affecting them and which are characteristic of their age and their historical location. In the paper, ordinal regression models and path analysis were used within and between generations to uncover potential returns to inequalities and gain novel perspectives on differences between closely-timed generations. The article’s structure is as follows: the first part analyses the generation approach, with a focus on its rela- tionship with the concept of cohort; the second examines the characteristics of X-ers and Y-ers, in terms of the changes experienced in labour market and social mobility, with a focus on Italy. The third part presents the methodology, and subsequent sections provide empirical results on the phenomena considered in literature. The conclusions confirm the influence of education on attaining status and offer some remarks on the return of inherited family inequalities on it.