Group 3: Angie Benítez, Angie Manotas, Laimen Benjumea, Cristiam Bustos.

1.What’s a social ladder? Find info on the Internet and discuss the definition you
found with
your classmates.

The social ladder represents a phenomenon in which it is shown how one generation serves
the other from rung to rung, for better or for worse, but in relative equilibrium. This ladder
reflects the issue of economic inequality and social mobility.

2. In general, which are the social classes in any society?

Social classes can be summarized as follows:

Upper class: Its individuals have a high purchasing power and generally a higher level of
training and education. They occupy positions of responsibility in the bureaucracy and have
ownership of the means of production, so they can employ other individuals.
Lower class: It is characterized by individuals with little possibility of having a home in
property or means of production. Furthermore, their income level is low, so their purchasing
power does not facilitate their entry into the country's bureaucracy or high-level educational
and professional training.
Middle class: It is the broadest stratum in societies. Its members often have average levels
in terms of education and have an intermediate economic capacity, which allows them
subsistence and property in many cases of housing and a standard of living based on well-
being.

3. What characteristics do these social classes have? Name at least 2 for each one.

Upper class:
1 Maximum economic prosperity in the reference society;
2 A high degree of economic and political influence, especially associated with the
management of large companies.
3 A political and social position.

Middle class
1 Most of them own their own houses and cars, most have a high level of education, but
even so they do not have great economic resources like those who are above them
2 They fight to guarantee the fixed payments of the month, such as electricity, telephone,
internet, television, studies, mortgage or vehicle loan and food.

Lower class
1 They tend to live in crowded conditions and do not consume balanced meals or eat
enough.
2 Nor can they buy appropriate clothing and footwear and do not have medical services.
3They receive state subsidies for their food, education and medical care in industrialized
countries.
4. What’s social mobility? Find info on the Internet and discuss the definition you
found with your classmates.

Social mobility is the ability of individuals, families, or groups to move up or down the social
ladder of a society, such as moving from the middle class to the low-income class. Social
mobility is often used to describe changes in wealth, but it can also be used to describe
general social position or education.

5. In your opinion, what are some difficulties people have for social mobility?

Personally, we believe that there are many factors such as the lack of opportunities, the high
prices to access quality education, the low salaries to which workers are subjected, the little
support that the government provides to small and medium-sized companies. All of these
are factors that do not help social mobilization because they do not allow people to advance
to another social class.

6. What circumstances, do you think, help people move faster in the social ladder?

Fit like others, and also be better than others no matter what you do to achieve it, and that
makes you go up FAST and not moderately and honestly. In addition, the economic
circumstance helps a lot, since the better this economic mind, the easier it will be for you to
move quickly in the social ladder.

7. Do you think that moving up in the social ladder is people’s responsibility, the
Government’s responsibility, or a combination of both? What actions should people
take and
what actions should the government take?

I think it is the responsibility of both, because people are responsible for moving in the social
ladder, however the government helps certain people especially, especially the rich. The
actions that people must take is to be more aware and the government must help everyone
equally, rich and poor people.

8. Is it easy or difficult for people in Colombia to move up from one social class to
another?
For example, moving from being a poor person to being middle class citizen?

We think that raising social class in Colombia is very difficult, especially for people who do
not live in large cities. Poor people have few opportunities to study, and sometimes it’s very
difficult for them to do it. Therefore, they can’t find the right jobs to change their financial
situation.

9. What conclusions can you make after watching this video?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t2XFh_tD2RA
In conclusion, that positive social mobility that is talked about in the video in the real world is
very difficult to achieve. For a person who was born at the bottom of the social scale, being
able to achieve an improvement and rise in social class will not be an easy task. Although
there are different factors that go into whether or not you can advance, such as if you are
black you are more likely not to advance, as well as if you are the child of separated parents.
But there are other factors inside that if you can climb in social classes some of them are, if
your parents are not separated, if you managed to get a university degree. Equally achieving
that your circumstances do not determine your possibilities in life is still very far from being
achieved.

10. Check the following chart and discuss with your classmates. Make at least three
inferences
from the previous information you discussed and the one in this chart. Think of the
topics
studied in class, think of you as a citizen, and think of your society.

- In countries like Denmark, Finland, Sweden and Norway, it takes families on average
3 generations or less to improve their income. It can be believed that they are the
countries with the most stable economies.
- Of all the countries that are part of the OECD, Colombia is where poor people have
the fewest opportunities.
- The possibility of improving income is tied to the population of the country. The first
countries have a low population, otherwise it happens with the last ones.