chapter 16 the interplay between education and occupation
TRANSCRIPT
Chapter 16
The Interplay between Education and Occupation
Chapter Outline
Occupational Prestige The Transformation of Work The Transformation of the Labor Force The Transformation of Education Do Schools Really Matter? High School Today Homeschooling Does Education Pay?
Education and Occupation
The more education people have, the higher their occupational status.
If we know people’s education and occupation, we can deduce other things about them: – how they vote– what kind of TV shows they watch– what kind of neighborhood they live in
Occupational Prestige Scores
Score Occupation Score Occupation
94U.S. Supreme Court justice
89 Chemist
93 Physician 89U.S. Foreign Service diplomat
92 Nuclear physicist 89 Lawyer
92 Scientist 88 Architect
91 Government scientist 88 County judge
91 State governor 88 Dentist
90 Cabinet member 87 Mayor of a large city
90 College professor 87Board member of a large corporation
90 Member, U.S. Congress 87 Minister
Occupational Prestige Scores
Score Occupation Score Occupation
87 Psychologist 81 Accountant for large business
86 Airline pilot 81 Public school teacher
86 Civil engineer 80 Building contractor
86 State government department head
80 Owner of a factory that employs about 100 people
86 Priest 78 Artist with work in galleries
85 Banker 78 Novelist
85 Biologist 78 Economist
83 Sociologist 78 Symphony musician
82 U.S. Army captain 77 International labor union official
Occupational Prestige ScoresScore Occupation Score Occupation
76 County agricultural agent
72 Policeman
76 Electrician 71 AVERAGE
76 Railroad engineer 71 Newspaper Reporter
75 Owner-operator of a printing shop
70 Bookkeeper
75 Trained machinist 70 Radio announcer
74 Farm owner and operator
69 Insurance agent
74 Undertaker 69 Tenant farmer
74 City welfare worker 67 Local labor union official
73 Newspaper columnist 67 Manager of small store
Occupational Prestige Scores
Score Occupation Score Occupation
66 Mail carrier 62 Garage mechanic
66 Railroad conductor 59 Truck driver
66 Traveling salesman 58 Fisherman with his own boat
65 Plumber 56 Clerk in a store
63 Barber 56 Milk route man
63 Machine operator in a factory
56 Streetcar motorman
63 Owner-operator of a lunch stand
55 Lumberjack
63 Playground director 55 Restaurant cook
62 U.S. Army corporal 54 Nightclub singer
Occupational Prestige Scores
Score Occupation Score Occupation
50 Coal miner 48 Janitor
50 Dock worker 45 Clothes presser in a laundry
50 Night watchman 44 Soda fountain clerk
50 Railroad section head 42
Sharecropper with no livestock or equipment and does not manage farm
49 Restaurant waiter
39Garbage collector
49 Taxi driver 36 Street sweeper
48 Bartender 34 Shoe shiner
48 Farmhand
Why People Rate Occupations High or Low
People rate a job by its importance. The more training an occupation
requires and the more pay it offers, the greater its public prestige.
They assume society will not pay high salaries to get people to do unimportant work.
Occupational Opportunities
Education is the primary factor determining our occupational opportunities.
Children receive socialization appropriate to certain occupations.
Children who don’t show academic aptitude tend to be placed in educational tracks that lead to manual occupations.
Academically talented children are groomed for technical and professional occupations.
The Transformation of Work
In 1900, fewer than 20% of North Americans had white-collar jobs.
Today, there are more white-collar than blue-collar workers.
Fewer jobs involving manual labor are available each year.
The Transformation Of The Labor Force
In 1870 about 40% of North Americans over age sixteen were in the labor force.
In 2000, nearly 2/3 were in the labor force. Now most North Americans finish high school
or college before entering the labor force, and most people must retire by age 70.
In 1870, few went to high school or college, and most started work young; people rarely retired as long as they could work.
Female Labor Force Participation Selected Nations)
Nation% Women
15–64 in the labor force
Nation% women
15–64 in the labor force
Iceland 83.1% South Korea
53.1%
Norway 76.3% Greece 49.0%
Denmark 75.8% Spain 48.9%
Sweden 74.6% Italy 46.0%
United States 71.7% Mexico 42.1%
Canada 69.6% Iraq 9.0%
Japan 63.8% Saudi Arabia
5.1%
Women in the Labor Force
In 1900, few women in North America or anywhere else were employed outside the home.
Today, about 7 of 10 American and Canadian women are full-time members of the labor force.
Reasons for Expansion of Women in the Labor Force
1. Unfavorable sex ratio forced many women to support themselves.
2. Reduced fertility freed women from long years of pregnancy and child rearing.
3. Increased freedom from housework.4. Change in the kinds of work available.5. Money.
Gender Composition of Selected Occupations
% femaleTotal Labor Force 46.5
All professional and managerial occupations 49.8
Selected occupations from this category:
Physicians 27.9
Lawyers 29.6
Engineers 9.9
Registered nurses 92.8
College professors 43.7
Psychologists 64.6
Editors and Reporters 55.8
Gender Composition of Selected Occupations
% female
Total Labor Force 46.5
Some other occupations: 49.8
Police officers 16.5
Firefighters 3.4
Bank tellers 90.0
Truck drivers 4.7
Farm workers 18.7
Chronic Unemployment
Concentrated in certain areas, such as the Appalachia region of the United States or the Atlantic provinces of Canada.
More common in certain segments of the population, especially minority groups.
Unemployment afflicts a higher proportion of African Americans than whites.
Education
In 1647, the Puritans of the Massachusetts Colony enacted a law that all children should attend school.
In 1920, fewer than half of those of high school age were still in school.
The class of 1948 included 52.9% of its age group.
The class of 1999 included more than 70% of its age group.
Academic Achievement of 15 Year -Olds in Selected Nations
Mean proficiency test scores
NationCombined average Reading Science Math
Japan 543 522 550 557
Great Britain 528 523 532 529
International Mean
500 499 502 498
United States 499 504 499 493
Germany 487 484 487 490
Russia 467 462 460 478
Mexico 410 422 422 387
The Effects of Homework
Hours spent on homework each week
NoneLess than 1 1–3 3–5 5–10
Over 10
Percent with an A average
1 4 6 10 16 27
Percent with an average of D or lower
46 24 16 9 5 5
Percent who dropped out before senior year
28 17 12 9 6 6
Studying and Dropping Out by Race and Ethnicity
% of sophomores who do an hour or more of homework every day
% who dropped out
before senior year
Whites 27 11
African Americans
24 14
Hispanic Americans
20 19
Native Americans
24 18
AsianAmericans
52 5
Effects of Different Kinds of Schools on Sophomores
% of sophomores who do an hour or more of homework every day
% who dropped out
before senior year
Public 26 18
Catholic 47 2
Elite Private
94 0
Other Private
50 9
Effects of Different Kinds of Schools on Sophomores
“To what extent are the following disciplinary matters problems in your school?”
Students cut classes(% “often”)
Students get into fights (% “often”)
% who expect to attend college
Public 26 18 59
Catholic 47 2 78
Elite Private 94 0 95
Other Private 24 18 76
Education and Mean Annual Income, Persons Age 45–55
Education Mean annual income
Not a high school graduate $19,865
High school graduate 27,133
Some college 34,141
College graduate 44,523
Master’s degree 56,022
Doctorate 75,426
Professional 115,498