Prestige Class And Mobility

This book assembles classic and contemporary articles representing the major sociological approaches to understanding social inequality. Although there are various competing texts covering issues of social inequality, this book is the only comprehensive source of classic and contemporary articles that have defined and redefined the contours of the field. The introductory articles in each section of the book provide examples of the major research traditions in the field, while the concluding essays (commissioned by leading scholars) provide broader programmatic statements that identify current controversies and unresolved issues.. The field of stratification is being transformed and reshaped by advances in theory and quantitative modeling as well as by new approaches to the analysis of economic, racial, and gender inequality. Although these developments are revolutionary in their implications, until now there has been no comprehensive effort to bring together the classic articles that have defined the contours of the field. In this revised and updated second edition of Social Stratification , the history of stratification research unfolds in systematic fashion, with the introductory articles in each section providing examples of the major research traditions in the field and the concluding essays (commissioned from leading scholars) providing broader programmatic statements that identify current controversies and unresolved issues. This comprehensive reader is designed as a primary text for introductory courses on social stratification and as a supplementary text for advanced courses on occupations, labor markets, or social mobility. The field of stratification is being transformed and reshaped by advances in theory and quantitative modeling as well as by new approaches to the analysis of economic, racial, and gender inequality. Although these developments are revolutionary in their implications, until now there has been no comprehensive effort to bring together the classic and contemporary articles that define the contours of the field. In this revised and updated edition of Social Stratification, the history of stratification research unfolds in systematic fashion, with the introductory articles in each section providing examples of the major research traditions in the field and the concluding essays (commissioned from leading scholars) providing broader programmatic statements that identify current controversies and unresolved issues. The resulting collection of articles both celebrates the diversity of theoretical approaches and reveals the cumulative nature of ongoing research. This comprehensive reader is designed as a primary text for introductory courses on social stratification and as a supplementary text for advanced courses on social classes, occupations, labor markets, or social mobility. The following types of questions and debates are addressed in the six sections of the reader:Forms and Sources of Stratif ication: What are the major forms of inequality in human history? Can the ubiquity of inequality be attributed to individual differences in talent or ability? Is some form of inequality an inevitable feature of human life? The Structure of Contemporary Stratification: What are the principal fault lines or social cleavages that define the contemporary class structure? Have these cleavages strengthened or weakened with the transition to modernity and postmodernity? Generating Stratification: How frequently do individuals move into new classes, occupations, or income groups? Is there a permanent underclass? To what extent are occupational outcomes determined by such forces as intelligence, effort, schooling, aspirations, social contacts, and individual luck? The Consequences of Stratification: How are the life-styles, attitudes, and behaviors of individuals shaped by their class locations? Are there identifiable class cultures in past and present societies? Ascriptive Processes: What types of social processes and state policies serve to maintain or alter racial, ethnic, and sex discrimination in labor markets? Have these forms of discrimination weakened or strengthened with the transition to modernity and postmodernity?The Future of Stratification: Will stratification systems take on completely new and distinctive forms in the future? How unequal will these systems be? Is the concept of social class still useful in describing postmodern forms of stratification? Are stratification systems gradually shedding their distinctive features and converging towards some common (i.e., postmodern) regime?The volume offers essential reading for undergraduates who need an introduction to the field, for graduate students who wish to broaden their understanding of stratification research, and for advanced scholars who seek a basic reference guide. Although most of the selections are middle-range theoretical pieces suitable for introductory courses, the anthology also includes advanced contributions on the cutting edge of research. The editor outlines a modified study plan for undergraduate students requiring a basic introduction to the field.

Occupational Prestige in Comparative Perspective provides information pertinent to the study of the nature of inequality in human society. This book discusses that stratification is inevitable in complex societies as they are characterized by a highly developed division of labor into distinct occupational roles. Organized into five parts encompassing 10 chapters, this book begins with an overview of the nature of occupational prestige systems that is rooted in power relations. This text then examines the extent of intrasocial variation in occupational prestige evaluations. Other chapters consider the contrast between the consensus that characterizes occupational prestige evaluations and the lack of consensus that characterizes the evaluation of other social categories. This book discusses as well the basic pattern of occupational evaluations and the worldwide uniformity in occupational evaluations. The final chapter deals with the development of the occupational scale and discusses it potential uses. This book is a valuable resource for sociologists.

Readings in the Swedish Class Structure is a collection of papers that covers the Swedish class structure. The book is comprised of 10 chapters that are organized into three parts; each part presents articles that tackle a concern in the Swedish class system. The text first covers the distribution of economic rewards, which includes ownership and influence in the economy; determination of wage structures in manufacturing industry; and a Marxist analysis of the Swedish class structure. The next part deals with the distribution of opportunities; this part examines the patterns of social mobility and educational reforms and equality. The last part tackles inequality and political processes. The book will be of great use to sociologists, political scientists, anthropologists, and social historians.

What keeps people in jobs or occupations is the central theme of four studies that interpret workers' attitudes toward job-changing in the light of their work experience as well as their expectations for the future. Gladys Palmer, in collaboration with Herbert S. Parnes of Ohio State University and Richard C. Wilcock of the University of Illinois, has experimented in the key study with analyses designed to measure the strength of a person's attachment to his or her occupation or employer. Attitude questions are given a time dimension by checking them against the job histories of individual workers and by including evaluations of crucial job decisions in the past. The effect of private pension plans upon the inclination to change jobs is examined by Parnes, with surprising results. A third study, by Carol P. Brainerd, considers the impact of the search for economic security on a highly skilled group by tracing changes over thirty years in the way toolmakers move between jobs and in the methods of training them. Mary W. Herman uses both America and European materials to analyze the connection between the ideas of social class, work attitude, aspirations for moving up the social scale, and the amount that actually occurs between different levels of skill. The volume emphasizes the work experience and attitudes of male production workers in the stable period of their working lives, when family responsibilities are usually heavy. At the same points, however, it also covers women workers and the full range of age groups in the adult population. In the concluding chapter, Palmer brings the findings together, examines their implications for understanding the complex factors that determine individual movements in the labor market, and assesses the various attitude measures developed as predictors of attachment or mobility. Materials, sources, and technical aspects of the analysis are discussed in four appendices. These studies have both practical appeal and research interest. Personnel workers, guidance counselors, employment specialists, and others involved in the everyday workings of the labor market will appreciate the insights into worker attitudes and behavior, while the analysis of institutional force and of motivations and trends in mobility will interest labor economists and sociologists, as well as technicians in the field of attitude research. Founded in 1921 as a separate Wharton department, the Industrial Research Unit has a long record of publication and research in the labor market, productivity, union relations, and business report fields. Major Industrial Research Unit studies as published as research projects are completed. This volume is Study no. 40.

The book covers the research on economic inequality, including the social construction of racial categories, the uneven and stalled gender revolution, and the role of new educational forms and institutions in generating both equality and inequality.