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STATUS ATTAINMENT.
Term Paper ID:23299
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Essay Subject:
Sociological study of relationship of individual success, socioeconomic mobility, role of family, gender, Canada & U.S. compared.... More...
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6 Pages / 1350 Words
2 sources, 21 Citations,
APA Format
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Paper Abstract:
Sociological study of relationship of individual success, socioeconomic mobility, role of family, gender, Canada & U.S. compared.
Paper Introduction:
Status Attainment: A Sociological Reassessment
Sociologists have for a long time been anxious to understand why some individual achieve success and others fail. As a sub-classification of questions surrounding social mobility, the specific issue of "status attainment" was first formulated by the pioneer work of Blau and Duncan (1967). They asserted that the best question to ask is not "How are people mobile?" but rather "How do people attain their statuses?" (Stark, 1996, p. 280). Their revised question enabled researchers to ascertain "how people acquire a status with or without being mobile" (Stark, 1996, p. 200). Since Blau and Duncan's landmark study and their presentation of an initial research model into this sociological field of inquiry, additional variables have been included to both broaden and intensify the field. One factor which appears to
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Scoutascertained that "white structural mobility has been declining" (Stark,1996, p. Itwould appear reasonable to suggest that although the Canadian studyevidences an advancement on its earlier American counterpart that itsformulation and execution may still lodge unacknowledged biases which donot result in completely accurate or pertinent results. In regards to education andoccupational prestige, the results are still nearly parallel with .6 forthe US and .61 for Canada (Stark, 1996, p. (Eds.) Class, status and power. Status Attainment: A Sociological Reassessment Sociologists have for a long time been anxious to understand why someindividual achieve success and others fail. 281). Curiously, at the heart of statusattainment research is a tendency to evaluate the status quo as the focalpoint of equilibrium. If status attainment theorists couldincorporate or branch off into research which focuses on how mentoringinfluences advancement, patterns for the underprivileged to betterthemselves more efficiently and quickly might be uncovered. Theirstudy indicated that "education has greater importance for statusattainment for people from poor homes than it does for others" (Stark,1996, p. John Porter (1921-1979) is often cited as Canada's leadingsociologist (Stark, 1996, p. If new research is to be conducted which willhelp advance women, minorities, the handicapped and other excluded parties,then there will need to be greater awareness of the usually implicitstratifications systems by which individuals advance. Workingwith data collected from 2 ,7 American men aged 2 through 64 by the U.S.Bureau of Census in 1962, Blau and Duncan biased their research toward aninvestigation of males (Stark, 1996, p. Belmont, CA:Wadsworth Publishing Company.----------------------- 1 (1996). 283). 284).Yet in scrutinizing this study originally prompted by Porter, it isdifficult to accept it in its pure form at face value. 282). Statistical research such as this is descriptiverather than interventionist. In reviewing this material, it would appear that the socialstratification systems as they currently are configured are biased to thosealready situated in positions of privilege. 282). By the 7 s, it was "feasible and importantto include women in such a study" (Stark, 1996, p. As a sub-classification ofquestions surrounding social mobility, the specific issue of "statusattainment" was first formulated by the pioneer work of Blau and Duncan(1967). Also significant is Hout'sfinding that those individuals who obtained college degrees were equallymobile. 285). 28 ). Onefactor which appears to need additional scrutiny is the issue of mentoravailability. This causedthe correlation between family background and occupational attainment todecline by one-third (Stark, 1996, p. In earlier societies, youthswere apprenticed and learned a trade. Tofocus on both positive and negative models of mentor patterning might helpaccount for the failure of individuals who should have been able toeconomically and professionally advance but were held back from doing so. This research bias wasrepeated in the Jenks study which although attempting to modify Blau andDuncan's research by focusing on "the effects of family background onoccupational achievement by comparing sets of brothers" still neglectedconsideration of how women are affected (Stark, 1996, p. Earlier in thetwentieth century sociologists indicated that memberships in churches,synagogues, country clubs and other professional organizations allowed forinteractions which led to both social and financial advancement. Sociologists must recallthat the personal and social interact to form patterns of professionalbehavior and achievement. To suggestthat Porter and Pineo's landmark study could be assumption-driven is touncover the possibility that social scientists are still in the infancystages of formulating research parameters and methods which do notcontaminate the data collected. 284). New York: Free Press. Collectinga large sample of data from variant families over a ten-year period, Cohenand Tyree included an extra-large sample of very poor families. Significantly,the research which Porter prodded and loosely supervised over the nextdozen or so years turned up results at odds with Porter's own publishedopinions. On average their fathers held almost a full year more ofeducation and held higher paying jobs than did their part-time femalecounterparts (Stark, 1996, p. One cannotcriticize Jenks for his interest in furthering research on statusattainment by intensifying the focus on male activity, but one can wonderwhy women were originally and then frequently neglected as an appropriatepoint of focus in status attainment studies. Stark, Rodney. Canadian women whoheld full-time jobs emerged from families with higher-status family-backgrounds. The results of the 1973 Canadian study indicated that "Canadawas not an exception to Lipset and Bendix's proposition that socialmobility is high in all industrialized nations" (Stark, 1996, p. Given that bytoday's standards the majority of youth have less parental supervision, toestablish centers structured to promote personal encouragement fortomorrow's youth could become highly effective. 281).Their study began to suggest that not only did women, especially singlewomen, have a more difficult time achieving social mobility but that priorstudies had tended to neglect not only their appropriate presence withinpopulation studies but their specific challenges and frustrations as well. The national study prodded by Porter indicated some interestingobservations regarding women and status attainment. Yet even Hout's study with its indication that social mobility doesnot remain equally available to all segments of the American populationdoes not address what factors might help those who have been excluded orprejudiced by the system to advance. Their revised question enabled researchers to ascertain "how peopleacquire a status with or without being mobile" (Stark, 1996, p. Review of Blau and Duncan's earliest researchindicates that they began with a relatively narrow level of focus. In attempting to ascertain whether social mobility has actually beenrestricted of late, Michael Hout, a sociologist at the University ofCalifornia, Berkeley began addressing this sociological concernspecifically. If ethnic affiliation and first-language status are less important within the study's findings than wasoriginally expected, why does the issue of the Quebecois with their recentattempt to separate from Canada, (a referendum which failed to pass in 1995by only 1% in Quebec!), seem so difficult to adjudicate or even access? Interestingly, Cohen and Tyree's study "forced sociologiststo recognize something new: Marital status is the main determinant offamily income, regardless of a person's background" (Stark, 1996, p. Porter's social observations led him toconclude that Canada had a "needlessly rigid stratification system" and sohe was eager to duplicate Blau and Duncan's study in Canada. Sixth Edition. 285). Blau and Duncan(1967) and Pineo (1976), the study originally promoted by Porter, may beregarded in years to come as studies so highly selective in their dataconcentration and assumption-driven as to be largely invalid. Even in pioneer America teacherswere able to guide and network their best students into new challengingsituations which would help gain them not only increased visibility butenrich their option choices. Hout's research indicates the gap in advancement experienced byracial and ethnic minorities (Stark, 1996, p. Studies conducted by Yinon Cohen and Andrea Tyree (1986) broadenedthe field of inquiry by heightening the emphasis upon the poor. In reviewing such socialprograms as Head Start, there seems to be a great and as yet unmet need fora more personal level of involvement in assisting individuals obtaingreater personal and economic satisfaction. They asserted that the best question to ask is not "How are peoplemobile?" but rather "How do people attain their statuses?" (Stark, 1996, p.28 ). Sociology. 281). For his data base, Hout referenced the General Social Survey1972-1985 which focuses on members of the labor force aged 25-65. References Davis and Moore (1966). 2 ).Since Blau and Duncan's landmark study and their presentation of an initialresearch model into this sociological field of inquiry, additionalvariables have been included to both broaden and intensify the field. The study concluded that the "morequalified women come from more privileged homes" (Stark, 1996, p. If individuals aregranted access to increased educational opportunities and on-site jobopportunities but then blocked from advancement from within these societalstructures, then no true alteration of social status can be achieved. Although Blau and Duncan's model of status attainment iscomparatively new, it still has been formulated in an era of remarkable, ifnot radical, social change. If status attainment is to be at least partially identifiedas acquiring a better societal position than one's parents than additionalresearch is needed to show how individuals fare once they are ushered intoarenas which can provide access to upward mobility. Yet even though upward mobility has declined for whites,since there has been an increase in exchange mobility, the amount ofmobility for whites has remained stable (Stark, 1996, p. 286). Fortunatelyfor the advancement of social research, his ambitions were delayedsufficiently long enough so that when his study began he understood theimportance of including women. "Some principles of stratification." InHauser et al. 285). 283).Canada shares an equally high level of social mobility with Americaestablishing a perfect parallel of .4 for the correlationship betweenfather and son's occupational prestige. For if socialmobility is just as frequent in Canada as America, why are there so manyCanadians who emigrate from there to here?
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