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Soviet Union [USSR] Other Determinants of Social Position
Social position in the Soviet Union in 1989 was determined not
only by occupation but also by level of education, party
membership, place of residence (urban or rural), and nationality.
Education level and party affiliation were by far the most
important nonoccupational determinants.
Education
Education was the chief prerequisite for social mobility,
playing an important role in determining one's occupation and hence
one's position in society. Few opportunities for advancement
existed for individuals who lacked formal education. In general,
the person who had an incomplete secondary education, that is, left
school after eight years, received only a factory apprenticeship or
an unskilled job. The person who completed secondary education,
that is, finished school through the tenth year, was placed in a
skilled or perhaps a low-level white-collar position, depending on
the type of secondary school attended
(see Soviet Union USSR - Institutions of Learning
, ch. 6). Professional and bureaucratic positions required
an even higher level of education.
Access to higher education, however, was not equal for all
social groups. In general, the higher the parents' status in the
social hierarchy, the better were the children's chances of
entering a university. This advantage was only partially
attributable to the parents' better connections and influence.
Children from these families also received better primary and
secondary educations, which made it more likely that they would
pass difficult university entrance examinations. In addition, their
parents could more easily afford tutoring for these examinations if
it were needed. They could also better afford the expense of school
tuition in the absence of a stipend. Because of their better
educational backgrounds, the children of white-collar workers and
the elite were more likely to obtain higher positions in the social
structure than the offspring of agricultural and blue-collar
workers. Since education was the chief means of social advancement
in the Soviet Union, this unequal opportunity greatly hindered
upward social mobility and tended to perpetuate the intelligentsia
and political elite.
Data as of May 1989
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