Subjective mobility, capabilities and education
Abstract
How have the perceptions of a group of Mexican university graduates changed over time? And what kind of decisions could these graduates take when their subjectivity has been modified? This article addresses both questions by focusing in the life path of a group of associate professionals from one of the technological universities in Mexico. In doing so, the need of taking into account both subjective (perception) and objective (monetary income) variables in the study of social mobility is stressed. The capabilities approach (Sen, 1985, 1987, 1999, 2009) is applied because of the focus on individual rationality and the freedom an individual has for choosing what she/he values for her/his life achievements. A longitudinal study is designed to analyse the social mobility, and it is found an upward trend in subjective mobility among the participants, which is closely related to the observed objective mobility, according to what has been supported by previous studies. These findings argue that the group of university graduates have lifted their own expectations about education, therefore, their actions to support a new generation is potentially real, and due to the successful outcomes they have experienced, their perceptions of education are positively related to what they value the most. This may enhance the social function of the technological higher education in Mexico, but further analysis is required.
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