Final answer:
Intergenerational mobility refers to changes in the social class of different generations within a family, shown when children of working-class parents achieve professional careers and a higher social class.
Step-by-step explanation:
When children of working-class parents attend college and secure a job in a professional field, it illustrates an example of intergenerational mobility. This concept reflects the movement between different social classes across generations within a family. For instance, an upper-class executive whose parents were part of the middle class, but whose grandparents belonged to the lower class, demonstrates how societal shifts can allow for changes in social standing over time.
Such movement may be influenced by factors like educational achievements, changes in the labor market, or shifts in social policies. Intergenerational mobility is distinct from intragenerational mobility, which pertains to changes in social class over an individual's lifetime, as seen when siblings reach different levels of social class.