Licensed Professionals and Intergenerational Big-, Meso- and Micro-Class Immobility within the Upper Class; Social Closure and Gendered Outcomes among Italian Graduates

Abstract

This article examines how processes of social closure promote persistence at the top of the occupational hierarchy and how they vary by gender. We focus on the links between professional closure strategies and intergenerational immobility in professional employment among Italian graduates. Italy displays the highest levels of service market regulation across Europe, and professionals are the largest occupational group within the upper class; therefore, it is crucial to analyse the link between professional closure and labour market outcomes among Italian graduates. Using ISTAT’s survey on Italian graduates’ labour outcomes and replicating the analyses of men in the ILFI survey, the origin-destination association is investigated at the big-, meso-, and micro-levels. We employ log-linear nested models and logistic regressions. The SPL sample offers a unique opportunity to analyse social mobility at the beginning of professionals’ careers and provide in-depth explanations of the micro-level dynamics of social reproduction. The analyses indicate that children of regulated professionals have a higher propensity to follow in their parents’ footsteps (micro-classes). Self-employment among professionals strongly increases intergenerational immobility at the top of the occupational hierarchy. The findings demonstrate that the combination of specific parental resources strongly helps professionals’ sons and daughters to avoid social demotion.