NKFIH ADVANCED 

2026 - 2029

Project leader: Ákos Huszár 

 

Project participants: Ábel Csathó, Judit Durst, Anikó Gregor, Gábor Hajdu, Zsanna Nyírő, Péter Róbert

 

Reproduction of Social Inequalities at the Top of the Class Structure

Belief in individual achievement is a fundamental value of Hungarian society. That is, those who are talented, and hard-working can get ahead, regardless of their family's financial situation. In contrast, recent studies show that in Hungary, class of origin is increasingly determining children's opportunities and Hungarian society is among the most closed societies in Europe.

These studies have also shown that the decline in social mobility is largely due to the upper classes passing on their privileged social status to their children, while those from the lower classes are less and less able to move up. The main aim of our research is therefore to understand how social inequalities are reproduced at the top of the class structure.

The transmission of inequalities, however, does not occur uniformly across the upper classes. Both the extent to which inequalities are reproduced and the mechanisms by which they are reproduced may differ in high-status occupational groups such as legal, medical, architectural, financial, academic, or business occupations. To this end, we examine these occupations on the one hand, through a secondary analysis of large-scale statistical databases, and on the other hand through the analysis of qualitative, interview data.

Thus, our research can reveal new knowledge that will fill a decades-long research gap. Furthermore, we believe that our results are much better suited than previous research to inform policy interventions. This research can provide information for designing policies that promote social mobility, thereby creating a more efficient, successful, and equitable society and economy.