Three Internationally Standardised Measures for Comparative Research on Occupational Status

Abstract

The classification and scaling of occupations constitutes the foundation of much, if not most, research on social stratification. Whether one studies access to desirable positions in societies (such as education or income), consumer styles, health outcomes, social interaction patterns, or social values and attitudes, measures of social background will more likely than not include a measure of social position derived from occupational position. In addition, the study of access to occupations is an important research topic in its own right. Ever since it was recognised that the division of labour is the kernel of social inequality, stratification researchers have developed ways to derive social status measures from information on occupations. Typically, this involves two steps. First, information about occupations is secured in a detailed classification of several hundred categories, often census or other official classifications. In comparative research with existing data, the task is often to reconcile the various classifications that have been used to code detailed occupational information in the component studies. In a second step, these detailed occupational classifications are recoded into status measures of more manageable size and sociological relevance, depending on the preferences of researchers and the nature of their research questions. There are many derived scales and broad classifications in circulation (Grusky and van Rompaey 1992).

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This paper digests and updates two earlier publications (Ganzeboom, De Graaf and Treiman 1992; Ganzeboom and Treiman 1996).