Promoting social mobility and ensuring a level-playing field for all remains an important challenge. OECD research highlights stark disparities in opportunities across children and adults from different socio-economic backgrounds. For instance, in European OECD countries children facing the greatest disadvantages may earn up to 20% less as adults compared to those who had more favorable childhoods. The right mix of public policies can help create a more level playing field. However, the private sector and civil society also have an important role to play – over 70% of people in a survey across 27 OECD countries said that multiple actors share the responsibility for promoting opportunities.
The OECD has long supported the improvement and tailoring of policy responses to inequality, through new and better data and stronger partnerships. As part of the activities of the Observatory on Social Mobility and Equal Opportunity – and supported by Robert Bosch Stiftung – the OECD has gathered qualitative evidence on the perceived barriers to social mobility and the shared solutions to build a fairer society. This work complements two decades of OECD research on social mobility, by bringing in the perspectives of disadvantaged groups and civil society organisations (CSOs).
While quantitative data is key to revealing trends and patterns – such as the fact that children from disadvantaged backgrounds are less likely to move up the income ladder – qualitative evidence can provide the context, mechanisms and human experiences behind the data. It can help highlight less visible barriers to social mobility and equal opportunity, such as discrimination, cultural biases or the psychological impacts of long-term disadvantage. Combining quantitative and qualitative approaches leads to a more rounded understanding of social disparities and can help design more tailored and effective policy solutions.
As part of the project, the WISE Centre conducted focus groups and interviews in collaboration with three CSOs and the people they serve to gain first-hand insights on:
- the role of social and emotional skills in improving the well-being and future prospects of disadvantaged children in Mexico, in collaboration with Proyecto Cantera, a Mexico City-based organisation that helps disadvantaged children develop life skills, adopt healthy behaviours, and embrace positive values through football training;
- challenges to the political representation of immigrants and their children in Germany, in cooperation with Deutschlandstiftung Integration, a German foundation that promotes equal opportunities for young people with immigrant parents, by providing training, scholarships, mentoring, and internship programmes;
- the reintegration of severely socially isolated individuals (hikikomori) in Japan, in partnership with Sodateage Net, a Tokyo-based organisation that supports young people who are hikikomori or NEET (Not in Employment, Education, or Training), by offering educational support, training, and psychological counselling.
While these organisations operate in diverse contexts and support different marginalized groups – each with unique experiences – several common themes emerged from the voices of these communities.
Strengthening the link between government and civil society
Interviews and focus groups highlighted the key role that CSOs play in complementing government efforts. CSOs can provide direct, flexible, and tailored support, often shaped by continued dialogue between staff and the communities they serve.
The comprehensive nature of CSO support was also appreciated. Even when they cannot directly offer certain services, CSOs often possess valuable information about available resources and opportunities (e.g. scholarships or government programmes) and can facilitate connections between beneficiaries and partner organisations in their network. Moreover, many CSO staff members have shared lived experiences with the communities they serve, making them approachable and understanding of the need for safe spaces that foster relationships among beneficiaries. Alongside governments, participants identified CSOs as key actors in raising awareness, reducing stigma and marginalisation, and promoting a shared understanding of the challenges faced by disadvantaged groups.
CSO staff stressed the need for stronger multi-stakeholder collaborations, including through more stable and more predictable financing (e.g. financial support for CSO programmes or voucher and cash transfer schemes that help beneficiaries access their services). Strengthening these partnerships and financial mechanisms would enable CSOs to broaden their impact and provide more effective support.
Education and safe spaces can help break cycles of disadvantage
People who have benefitted from CSO services shared various ideas for fostering more equal opportunities. For instance, former socially isolated people advocated for independent school counsellors who are easily accessible, trusted and well-connected to relevant care providers. Disadvantaged children in Mexico highlighted the need for increased curricular time in public schools to help students develop both academic skills and social-emotional competencies. Young people with immigrant parents called for the inclusion of lessons on migration history in Germany’s school curricula, as well as sensitivity training for teachers and more equitable access to secondary education for all students, regardless of their background.
Participants also stressed the importance of creating safe spaces where individuals feel supported and can openly share their thoughts, feelings, and concerns with others who have similar experiences. Such spaces should extend beyond CSOs and be integrated in everyday settings – such as peer support groups in schools and workplaces – and facilitated by individuals with shared lived experiences.
The experiences shared highlighted the central role of parents in shaping children’s life paths and how disadvantage can be passed down through generations. Financial hardship and parenting challenges, often as a result of external factors, affected children’s social and emotional development and, in some cases, contributed to their prolonged social isolation. Similarly, the discrimination experienced by immigrant parents contributed to shaping their children’s outlook and engagement with society.
The findings also revealed that disadvantage extends beyond limiting access to opportunities; it can also narrow personal aspirations, as individuals may lower their ambitions in anticipation of discrimination. However, CSOs can play a key role in breaking this vicious cycle, by providing resources, guidance, and support, helping beneficiaries unlock new horizons.
