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.

Contenu

List of Figures
List of Tables
Preface
Acknowledgments
I Introduction
1 The Division of Labor and Occupational Stratification
Organization of the Volume
A Theory of Occupational Prestige
Alternative Possibilities
II Setting the Stage: Data, Methods, and Basic Results
2 Problems of Method in Comparing Occupational Prestige Systems
Do "Occupational Prestige" Studies Actually Measure Prestige?
Data and Data Quality
Variation in the Rating Task
Combining Several Studies from One Country
Comparing Occupational Titles Across Countries
Summary
3 Intrasocietal Consensus in Occupational Prestige Evaluations
Subgroup Variations in Prestige Ratings
How Representative are Students in their Occupational Evaluations?
Urban-Rural and Regional Variations
Variation Over Time
Summary
4 The Extent of Intersocietal Similarity in Occupational Prestige Hierarchies
Extent of Prestige Similarity
Regional and Cultural Variations
Ratings of Nonmanual and Manual Occupations
Summary
III Issues of Substance
5 Explaining the Worldwide Similarity in Prestige Hierarchies
Determinants of Prestige in Contemporary Societies
Occupational Structures in Past Societies
Structures in Past Societies
6 Prestige and Industrialization
Prestige Similarity and Social Structure
Pairwise Comparisons
Summary
7 Cross-Cultural Variations in Prestige Evaluations of Particular Occupations: Exceptions that Prove the Rule
Cultural Variations in Prestige Evaluations
The Glorification of Manual Work in Socialist Society
Variations in the Structural Bases of Prestige
Cross-Cultural Variations in the Prestige of 50 Common Occupations
Conclusions
IV A Standard International Occupational Prestige Scale
8 Developing the Scale
The Need for a Standard International Occupational Prestige Scale
Constructing the Scale
Properties of the Scale
Validating the Scale
Summary
Appendix 8.1 Conversion of Prestige Data to a Standard Metric
Appendix 8.2 Reliability and Errors of Estimate
9 Using the Scale
Uses of the Scale
Practical Procedures for Using the Scale
A Nominal Classification of Occupations
Comparing the Standard Scale with Duncan's Socioeconomic Index
Summary
Appendix 9.1 Coding Rules for Assigning Standard Scale Scores
V Conclusion
10 Occupational Prestige and Social Structure
Summary of the Argument
Limitations of the Analysis and Future Research Needs
On the Inevitability of Stratification and the Dignity of Work
Appendix A Standard International Occupational Prestige Scale
Appendix B Alphabetical Index to Standard Scale
Appendix C Standard Scale Scores for Other Occupational Classifications
1 Standard Scale Scores for the International Standard Classification of Occupations (First Edition, 1958)
2 Standard Scale Scores for the 1950 U.S Census Detailed Occupational Classification
3 Standard Scale Scores for the 1960 U.S Census Detailed Occupational Classification
4 Standard Scale Scores for the 1970 U.S Census Detailed Occupational Classification
Appendix D Occupational Prestige Scores for Each Country
References
Index