Kolner Zeitschrift fur Soziologie und Sozialpsychologie
Volume 70, Issue 4, 2018, Pages 539-564

Why is the Migrant Middle Class Shrinking in Urban Areas? The Example of the Changing Social Stratification in Vienna Between 2003 and 2013 [Warum schrumpft die migrantische Mittelschicht in der Stadt? Zur Dynamik der Schichtung am Beispiel Wiens zwischen 2003 und 2013] (Article) (Open Access)

Riederer B. , Seewann L. , Verwiebe R.*
  • a Institut für Soziologie, Universität Wien, Rooseveltplatz 2, Wien, 1090, Austria, Institut für Demographie, Österreichische Akademie der Wissenschaften, Welthandelsplatz 2, Wien, 1020, Austria
  • b Institut für Soziologie, Universität Wien, Rooseveltplatz 2, Wien, 1090, Austria
  • c Institut für Soziologie, Universität Wien, Rooseveltplatz 2, Wien, 1090, Austria

Abstract

The changing social stratification within western societies became especially evident in cities in the last decades. Therefore, stratification dynamics are increasingly discussed in international urban research. Although migration is considered essential for the restructuring of urban social stratification in theoretical debates, there is a lack of empirical studies addressing the explicit role migration plays. The present article analyses the relevance of migration patterns and the heterogeneity of migrant populations taking Vienna as an example. Logistic models and decomposition analysis systematically examine effects of migration specific and labour market specific characteristics of the migrant population for their social position and ongoing changes within the urban class structure. The share of middle class households has declined significantly among migrants in Vienna within the last two decades. Our results indicate, among other things, that the shrinking of the migrant middle class would have been even more pronounced, if migrants still possessed the characteristics (e. g. country of origin, education) that were typical for this group a few years earlier. © 2018, The Author(s).

Author Keywords

Migration Vienna Shrinking of middle class Social structure Social inequality

Index Keywords

education decomposition urban area job market social stratification household Article human migrant human experiment
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85061063668&doi=10.1007%2fs11577-018-0577-z&partnerID=40&md5=29e8aff445ecf422cc516491b1b7860b
DOI: 10.1007/s11577-018-0577-z
ISSN: 00232653
Original Language: German