The Interplay between Education and Occupation

1
Chapter 16

• The Interplay between Education and Occupation

2
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?

3
Education and Occupation

• The more education people have, the higher their
  occupational status.
• If we know peoples 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

4
Occupational Prestige Scores
Score Occupation Score Occupation
94 U.S. Supreme Court justice 89 Chemist
93 Physician 89 U.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 87 Board member of a large corporation
90 Member, U.S. Congress 87 Minister
5
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
6
Occupational Prestige Scores
Score 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
7
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
8
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 39 Garbage collector
49 Taxi driver 36 Street sweeper
48 Bartender 34 Shoe shiner
48 Farmhand
9
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.

10
Occupational Opportunities

• Education is the primary factor determining our
  occupational opportunities.
• Children receive socialization appropriate to
  certain occupations.
• Children who dont 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.

11
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.

12
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.

13
Female Labor Force Participation Selected Nations)
Nation Women 1564 in the labor force Nation women1564 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
14
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.

15
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.

16
Gender Composition of Selected Occupations
female female
Total 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
17
Gender Composition of Selected Occupations
female 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
18
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.

19
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.

20
Academic Achievement of 15 Year -Olds in Selected
Nations
Mean proficiency test scores Mean proficiency test scores Mean proficiency test scores Mean proficiency test scores
Nation Combined 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
21
The Effects of Homework
Hours spent on homework each week Hours spent on homework each week Hours spent on homework each week Hours spent on homework each week Hours spent on homework each week Hours spent on homework each week
None Less than 1 13 35 510 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
22
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
23
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
24
Effects of Different Kinds of Schools on
Sophomores
To what extent are the following disciplinary matters problems in your school? To what extent are the following disciplinary matters problems in your school? To what extent are the following disciplinary matters problems in your school? 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
25
Education and Mean Annual Income, Persons Age
4555
Education Mean annual income
Not a high school graduate 19,865
High school graduate 27,133
Some college 34,141
College graduate 44,523
Masters degree 56,022
Doctorate 75,426
Professional 115,498