The broken promise: A phenomenological study on downward mobility and the inflation of degrees among graduates of Higher Education

Abstract

This research analyzes, from a phenomenological perspective, the experiences of social displacement and degree inflation relating to graduates in the education field who face job insecurity. Despite acknowledging a solid theoretical fundamentals and feeling prepared for competitive processes, the subjects experience a breakdown in their expectations of social mobility. The objective guiding the study is to understand, from a phenomenological perspective, the experiences of social displacement and the subjectivities constructed by graduates of a higher education institution in the face of the difficulty of professional integration within the educational sector. The data analysis is conducted through open and axial categorization, this process yields findings that reveal a structural disillusionment with the public and private labor market. The phenomenon of habitus deception is identified, where the meritocratic promise of the educational system is contrasted with a reality where the degree is devalued in the face of the saturation of applicants.