Social stratification and the transformation of inequalities

Bringing sociological analysis to the study of social stratification and patterns in inequality has been a research cornerstone at the OSC since Henri Mendras’ founding work on the structural transformations of French society, whether analyzed through a national or cross-national lens.

The first dimension of analysis, focused on stratification, seeks to describe and investigate changes in social hierarchies and pinpoint the underlying causes, with a focus on:
-    multidimensional transformations of social classes (education, professions, wages and income, prestige, wealth, etc.);
-    intergenerational and intragenerational mobility and homogamy within couples and households.

The second dimension of analysis, building on recent sociological developments in France and worldwide, seeks to investigate the social status of immigrant-origin populations (education, labor market participation, professions, housing, etc.), ethnoracial inequalities and discrimination.
    
A third dimension of analysis centers on gender inequalities, as they unfold in both the private sphere (gendered division of domestic labor) and in public life (gender segregation in the workplace and the glass ceiling).

Research topics

•    Stratification and social mobility
•    Social mobility and intergenerational mobility
•    Homogamy, couple formation and dissolution
•    Professional categories and the statistical categorization of households
•    Discrimination and ethnoracial inequality
•    Ethnoracial and social segregation; housing inequalities
•    The reproduction of inequality and its mechanisms

Current research projects

• Les inégalités résidentielles liées à l'origine immigrée : logement, ségrégation spatiale et mobilité résidentielle en France
• Discrimination positive à la française : l'impossible combat contre les inégalités liées à l'origine