Can Success Bring Distress? Gendered Mobility Effects Among White Men and Women

Siobhan Greatorex-Voith , Harvard University

Health outcomes often follow a social gradient; outcomes at the top of the socioeconomic ladder tend to have lower morbidity and mortality than those at the bottom. However, cross-sectional studies may mask mobility processes with counter-intuitive effects. Recent literature suggests upward mobility may negatively impact health outcomes associated with prolonged exposure to stressors. Using the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study, I explore heterogeneity in psychological distress levels among upwardly-mobile men and women and find that upwardly mobile individuals most resemble the mean psychological distress levels of their destination class. However, there is greater variation in distress outcomes among those with “extreme” mobility pathways, such as those who move from the bottom income quintile to the top income quintile. Upwardly mobile women tend to experience greater levels of psychological distress. This study indicates that psychological distress outcomes are sensitive to how we measure social class, as well as how we estimate social mobility.

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 Presented in Session 57. Consequences of Intergenerational Social and Educational Mobility