Social mobility into elite occupations in Germany: class, reproduction, and the experience of upward mobility in top corporate law firms

Butt, Asif (2024) Social mobility into elite occupations in Germany: class, reproduction, and the experience of upward mobility in top corporate law firms. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

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Abstract

This thesis examines social mobility into elite occupations in Germany by analysing the social class composition and dynamics of micro-class reproduction within the corporate law industry. By combining both primary survey data (n=3,564) on lawyers working at the top 100 law firms in the country and in-depth interviews conducted with partners, counsels, and associates (n=51), the study provides an unprecedented exploration of the social class structure of the German legal profession. It highlights how lawyers disproportionately come from upper-middle class origins with approximately 85% originating from professional or managerial social classes. Further, it documents elevated levels of micro-class stability in the field of law with approximately 20% of lawyers having a parent working in the same professional field. The project investigates the precise underlying sociological mechanisms contributing to this occupational inheritance. It identifies the intergenerational transmission of field-specific social and cultural capital as driving forces of broader dynamics of elite reproduction. Further, this dissertation delves into the experience of long-range upward mobility and unpacks processes of cultural dislocation at social destination and origin, as well as processes of acculturation and professional socialisation which are facilitated by the administrative setup of the German legal profession. The project makes several contributions to the study of social stratification in Germany, access to high-income and high-status professions, the intergenerational transmission of field-specific capital, and the multifaceted experience of social mobility.

Item Type:	Thesis (PhD)
Additional Information:	© 2024 Asif Inayat Butt
Library of Congress subject classification:	H Social Sciences > HD Industries. Land use. Labor H Social Sciences > HM Sociology H Social Sciences > HT Communities. Classes. Races
Sets:	Departments > Sociology
Supervisor:	Friedman, Sam and Elliott, Rebecca
URI:	http://etheses.lse.ac.uk/id/eprint/4890

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