Education and Occupational Mobility a Regression Analysis

Education was no less important as a determinant of occupational status in 1950 than in 1940, and sons of farmers and non-whites were handicapped by comparison with respondents of non-farm origin and whites.

Abstract

Regression analysis of occupational mobility is made feasible by recent work providing socioecomonic status scores for detailed occupations. Data from the Chicago portion of the 1951 Six-City Survey of Labor Mobility reveal correlations of about .3 between respondents' occupational scores and those of their fathers, while respondents' educational attainment has a somewhat greater influence, as indicated by correlations of .4 or .5. Sons of farmers and non-whites were handicapped by comparison with respondents of non-farm origin and whites. Deposite rising levels of educational attainment accompanied by decreasing dispersion of number of school years completed, evident in intecohort comparisons, education was no less important as a determinant of occupational status in 1950 than in 1940.