Social mobility Movement of individuals or groups between different social positions. Vertical mobility refers to movement up or down a hierarchy in a stratification system.
Lateral mobility is physical movement of individuals or groups from one region to another.
When analysing vertical mobility, sociologists distinguish between how far an individual is mobile in the course of his or her own career, and how far the position which the person reaches differs from that of his or her parents. The movement of individuals, within a stratified society, from one position within the social hierarchy to another. Usually refers to positions of broad occupation or social class.