"We do not have enough, but that's why we work": Intergenerational social mobility and positional inconsistency in classroom assistants and nursery assistants
This research is aimed at understanding the intergenerational mobility patterns of a group of classroom assistants and kindergarten assistants from Colegio Santo Tomás and Instituto Alonso de Ercilla, both located in Santiago. The study is qualitative in nature, the information was produced through ten in-depth interviews and the analysis was carried out by means of content analysis. The evidence shows that there are processes of intergenerational occupational mobility, as a result of improved working conditions. In addition, the assistants positively value the stability of their work, a feeling that coexists with low salaries and precarious support networks. These elements are a source of fear of losing the position they have achieved. At the same time, there is a deep mark of popular social origin in the expectations and motivations associated with work, education and family, which contributes to the phenomenon of inconsistency. Finally, a marked polyfunctionality is expressed, which is strongly related to the feminization of teaching work and the performance of tasks traditionally attributed to women. These characteristics are intensified in vulnerable educational contexts.
Keywords:
Education, Social stratification, Intergenerational social mobility, Positional inconsistency, Educational assistant
Navarro Leal, E., & Sembler Reyes, M. (2021). "We do not have enough, but that’s why we work": Intergenerational social mobility and positional inconsistency in classroom assistants and nursery assistants. Revista Némesis, 1(14), 13–40. Retrieved from https://revistanemesis.uchile.cl/index.php/RN/article/view/65905
