According to modernization theory processes such as educational expansion, industrialization, urbanization, and improvement of means of transport and communication lead to a shift from ascription to achievement. This hypothesis has mainly been tested for intergenerational mobility and marriage mobility. In this presentation I will give a short overview of the results with respect to these two types of mobility and then continue with presenting new results on changes in career mobility during modernization. The empirical example will be the Netherlands during the 19th century.