Status attainment
Encyclopedia
Status attainment or status attainment theory is a concept of sociology
.
It deals largely with one's position in society, or class. Status attainment is affected by both achieved factors, such as educational attainment, and ascribed factors, such as family income. It is achieved by a combination of parent's status, one's own efforts and abilities, and luck. The idea behind status attainment is that one can be mobile, either upwardly or downwardly, in the form of a class system.
In education context, status attainment assumes that social status
of parent affects educational level achieved by children, which in turn affects occupational level and social status. Thus, level of schooling would affect (moderate) the degree of intergenerational transmission of social status.
for men with low origins than for those with high ones. After continued research, the initial statement proved to be incorrect. Blau and Duncan realized that people couldn't possibly think that the best way to get a high-social status
position is to start at the bottom. They continued to find that the flaw was in the question the information was based upon. They found their research shouldn't be founded upon the question of "How are people mobile" but on "how do people attain their statuses". Peter Blau and Otis Duncan continued on to conduct a landmark research study to provide answers to their new question.
The United States Bureau of the Census began the research when they conducted interviews in 1962 based on questions prepared by Blau and Duncan. The results showed that it was better to start at the top of the stratification system rather than at the bottom. Men whose fathers held high-status jobs had increased odds of gaining a high-status position although the results had shown a considerably weak correlation. The weak correlation continued to show that education
was the primary mechanism in occupational status rather than a father's occupational status. Men who held high-status jobs were usually able to give their sons more years of quality education than those who didn't hold high-status jobs.
Peter Blau and Otis Duncan's conduct of the initial research-study and their status-attainment model
continues to be the core behind the theory of status attainment.
Status Attainment in the U.S. is the process of acquiring positions in educational and occupational hierarchies. Major influential factors include: parental social background, cognitive ability, motivation and education. Very trivial, but nonetheless imperative to one's starting status, family background and upbringing play a major role in status attainment. For example, being born into a wealthy family gives an individual a better starting point than an individual being born into poverty. Money is a huge factor on whether or not a child will get a head start in life. Parents that are wealthy can afford to buy their kids their first car, or put a down payment on their kid's first house. This gives their children privileges few are lucky to have, and gives them opportunities not many children receive. Ultimately this experience catapults these lucky kids into a higher status attainment instantaneously.
On the contrary, kids born into poverty may have the same intellectual ability and motivation as the former, but lack the parental wealth and chance for opportunity. Despite being able to buy things for themselves eventually (buy their first car, or put a down payment on a home), they nonetheless are still put at a disadvantage. Therefore, the background family makeup plays a huge and significant role in determining a person's status attainment in the long run. "Status Attainment generally refers to the processes through which initial relative social position is associated with own social status attainment over time". Potential attainment can be achieved by the kid coming from poverty, but it is much harder and takes longer to accomplish. There are also two other factors contributing to status attainment that are equally as influential.
Cognitive ability or one's intellect undoubtedly contributes to the probability of one seeking higher education in life. An individual's level of educational attainment reached gives him or her better chance for moving up the occupational ladder as well as giving them a higher status. Cognitive ability is linked to motivation and education which are the other two major influential contributors of status attainment. This aspect of status attainment has nothing to do with one's parental social background, but rather acts on its own as an attribute for achieving higher status attainment. Being a factor independent from family background or motivation and education, cognitive ability cannot be enhanced or a predicate of the likelihood of one achieving a higher status. Someone of great intellect could have no motivation to accomplish anything, and someone of no intellect could be motivated and do great things.
Perhaps the most influential factor in determining one's status attainment is motivation and education. "This plays an important role in status attainment research and has been found to influence both educational attainment and occupational aspirations of young people, as well as the timing of life course transitions" (Schoon, 72). This two way sword works both ways. The higher the motivation a person has the more likely they are to receive higher education and eventually get a higher paying job and vice versa.
Aspects of status attainment that help encourage or influence education and motivation in kids include the symbolic interaction theory. This theory emphasizes the importance of one's family to urge and push their child for achievement. Parent's expectations and aspirations for their kids in socializing them are very influential not only for them to attain better education in life, but also to make them aware of the importance of a good education that will land them a good job in the future. "Correspondingly, social learning theory
may serve as a basis for the attainment of youth through such mechanisms as the modeling of parents’ attainment behavior, parental encouragement of attainment (reinforcement), and the communication of aspirations". Parents in essence teach their kids to become motivated, and inspired for education themselves by setting the example right at home. For instance, if a child sees that his mother or father are lazy and do not care about the well being of his or her education then that child will grow up to believe education is not important. Coincidentally, this negative socializing example from parent to kid leads them astray and their status as an adult will become poor. They may have great intellectual aptitude and have parents that make an average salary, but if they lack one ingredient (motivation), then they will never ascend as far as they could had they been taught better habits at home.
African Americans follow the same path, but their steps are limited. Differences in educational and occupational attainment have declined among African Americans. However, on average, African Americans and Whites begin at different status levels and end in different status levels. Increased schooling benefits everyone, but due to discrimination, white males benefit more. The same results are found in other minority groups and among females.
and Allocation
are two different types of status attainment. Both models discuss the importance of how others effect attainments of an individual. "While both are the same in that aspect both differentiate on theoretical interpretations of the same observations and direct our attention to different kinds of phenomena." (Kerckhoff 368-379).
According to Rodney Stark
, Sociology Tenth Edition, the allocation theories are theories that argue that the primary function of schools is to allocate status, to place students in the stratification system, rather than to train them. (Stark 641). "In other words teachers identify and classify students according to externally imposed criteria." (Kerckhoff 368-379). "Since this seems to imply that social order rests upon consensual values, and that the prestige hierarchy is a function of widespread convergence in moral evaluations, the approach has been criticized as an extension of the functional theory of stratification—although its practitioners strenuously deny this charge." (Marshall 1998). In this model "social agencies" try to determine the path of the individual and the individual is constricted to what they can do, do to the social structure. In most conditions ambition has no effect on outcome and the outcome is usually predictable. Allocation is "based on "plans" and "exceptions" rather than "wishes" or "aspirations". As children get older they become less convinced that everyone has an equal chance to obtain "good things" in life." (Kerckhoff 368-379). The clearest examples of this model are discrimination of race and individual characteristics. In the article "The Status Attainment Process: Socialization or Allocation?" Alan C. Kerckhoff states "rewards black receive for any level of accomplishment are lower than those of whites at the same level".
Socialization
, on the other hand, looks for the characteristics that affect the individual.This term is used by many but most commonly used by psychologist
, sociologists and educationalists to describe the learning of ones culture and how to fit in. Also it teaches one how to act and participate in the society. Referring to the book Sociology, Socialization is the process by which culture
is learned and internalized by each member of society-much of which occurs during childhood. (Stark 657). Or it can be explained as "the process by which we learn to become members of society, both by internalizing the norms and values of society, and also by learning to perform our social roles." (Marshall 1998). Unlike allocation adults can be enabled to perform new roles. With this model motivation and ability are important factors to help one attain status, this means "Individuals are free to move within the social system, attainments being determined by what the individual does and how well they choose to do it." (Kerckhoff). Some people doubt in this system because they can be influenced by others or misinterpreted to how they feel fit.
suggests that "the average working woman's father has more education and a better job than does the father of the average employed male".
Even though women hold fewer jobs than men in some societies, women hold jobs of higher prestige than their male counterparts. This is probably because it is not beneficial for women who are married with children to go out and get lower-paying, lower status jobs because the economic benefits cancel themselves out in the end. Married working women also hold less prestigious jobs than their spouses. This is partially because married people tend to share the same economic backgrounds as well as education levels, and partially because in the process of evolutions, sexual dimorphism
has triggered women to prefer wealthy husbands.
In the past, females generally attained their status through family background or marriage. Although it is still true today, females are becoming more independent and socially mobile in many parts of the world. The increased independence and social mobility has led to an increase in women attaining their own status rather than attaining their status through family circumstances and/or through marriage.
"Many researchers have found that male and female status attainment processes are virtually identical while others have reported gender differences in the importance of mental ability and family background variables as predictors of attainment". In low income and rural communities where male and female roles are traditionally distinctly defined female and male job expectations are excluded from one another. Women are generally held at bay as the traditional "stay at home" mother, or occupy secretarial jobs while men occupy business and managerial positions. This indicates that these community's youths are being taught and expected to follow these gender guidelines. Consequentially, in these circumstances women's attainment processes are being hindered by stereotypes and traditional ways of thinking.
As a result women face a different type of socialization process than men do. Early childhood experiences are very influential for women. In particular, family, marriage, and early child bearing have great importance for the attainment of women (Wilson & Peterson). Women's attainment in rural and low income communities are shaped by more traditional views of gender roles. Enhancing educational goals and motivation for seeking higher paying jobs are generally discouraged for women in these rural and low-income communities.
, a Canadian, we will focus on.
In the 1973 survey conducted in Canada, Porter began to explore ideas of occupational status attainment. John Porter started his study believing that Canadians were less mobile than Americans in terms of climbing the occupational status ladder. In fact it was quite the opposite, Canadians as well as Americans had higher occupational statuses if their parents were high on the status ladder. This study also showed that gender can be important as well. Women who have full time jobs come from families higher up on the occupational ladder than men do. Work trends as well are a major factor in determining the occupational status of a person. We have seen a large shift of the workforce move from the agriculture aspect to largely skilled jobs. Since, few are left to labor in the agricultural field, we’ve found that those left are not unskilled laborers but rather farm owners. Thus a large shift in the occupational status of an average person in the agricultural sector has occurred.
To end, these findings and others can tell us many things about the status attainment of average persons. Most importantly they tell us that status is not simply attained through on underlying cause or factor but rather by a multitude of factors. In studying these factors more we can understand how they affect all aspects of status attainment.
Sociology
Sociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity...
.
It deals largely with one's position in society, or class. Status attainment is affected by both achieved factors, such as educational attainment, and ascribed factors, such as family income. It is achieved by a combination of parent's status, one's own efforts and abilities, and luck. The idea behind status attainment is that one can be mobile, either upwardly or downwardly, in the form of a class system.
In education context, status attainment assumes that social status
Social status
In sociology or anthropology, social status is the honor or prestige attached to one's position in society . It may also refer to a rank or position that one holds in a group, for example son or daughter, playmate, pupil, etc....
of parent affects educational level achieved by children, which in turn affects occupational level and social status. Thus, level of schooling would affect (moderate) the degree of intergenerational transmission of social status.
History
Peter M. Blau (1918-2002) and Otis Duncan (1921-2004) were the first sociologists to isolate the concept of status attainment. Their initial thesis stated that the lower the level from which a person starts, the greater is the probability that he will be upwardly mobile, simply because many more occupational destinations entail upward mobilitySocial mobility
Social mobility refers to the movement of people in a population from one social class or economic level to another. It typically refers to vertical mobility -- movement of individuals or groups up from one socio-economic level to another, often by changing jobs or marrying; but can also refer to...
for men with low origins than for those with high ones. After continued research, the initial statement proved to be incorrect. Blau and Duncan realized that people couldn't possibly think that the best way to get a high-social status
Social status
In sociology or anthropology, social status is the honor or prestige attached to one's position in society . It may also refer to a rank or position that one holds in a group, for example son or daughter, playmate, pupil, etc....
position is to start at the bottom. They continued to find that the flaw was in the question the information was based upon. They found their research shouldn't be founded upon the question of "How are people mobile" but on "how do people attain their statuses". Peter Blau and Otis Duncan continued on to conduct a landmark research study to provide answers to their new question.
The United States Bureau of the Census began the research when they conducted interviews in 1962 based on questions prepared by Blau and Duncan. The results showed that it was better to start at the top of the stratification system rather than at the bottom. Men whose fathers held high-status jobs had increased odds of gaining a high-status position although the results had shown a considerably weak correlation. The weak correlation continued to show that education
Education
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
was the primary mechanism in occupational status rather than a father's occupational status. Men who held high-status jobs were usually able to give their sons more years of quality education than those who didn't hold high-status jobs.
Peter Blau and Otis Duncan's conduct of the initial research-study and their status-attainment model
Conceptual model
In the most general sense, a model is anything used in any way to represent anything else. Some models are physical objects, for instance, a toy model which may be assembled, and may even be made to work like the object it represents. They are used to help us know and understand the subject matter...
continues to be the core behind the theory of status attainment.
Status attainment in the United States
The first factor that affects one's status attainment is a person's family of origin. The parent's occupations, levels of education, and incomes are highly correlated with status attainment. Next, ability is usually measured by some sort of achievement test, and therefore refers to academic aptitude. One's ascribed ability strongly affects educational attainment. Academic performance contributes to status attainment because it eventually determines what job you will get. Encouragement from family and friends will affect education and occupational attainment. These aspirations create an expectation of achieving a certain educational level or occupation. Educational attainment strongly influences occupational attainment. It is clear that all of these factors are linked together and continue to affect each other throughout one's lifespan.Status Attainment in the U.S. is the process of acquiring positions in educational and occupational hierarchies. Major influential factors include: parental social background, cognitive ability, motivation and education. Very trivial, but nonetheless imperative to one's starting status, family background and upbringing play a major role in status attainment. For example, being born into a wealthy family gives an individual a better starting point than an individual being born into poverty. Money is a huge factor on whether or not a child will get a head start in life. Parents that are wealthy can afford to buy their kids their first car, or put a down payment on their kid's first house. This gives their children privileges few are lucky to have, and gives them opportunities not many children receive. Ultimately this experience catapults these lucky kids into a higher status attainment instantaneously.
On the contrary, kids born into poverty may have the same intellectual ability and motivation as the former, but lack the parental wealth and chance for opportunity. Despite being able to buy things for themselves eventually (buy their first car, or put a down payment on a home), they nonetheless are still put at a disadvantage. Therefore, the background family makeup plays a huge and significant role in determining a person's status attainment in the long run. "Status Attainment generally refers to the processes through which initial relative social position is associated with own social status attainment over time". Potential attainment can be achieved by the kid coming from poverty, but it is much harder and takes longer to accomplish. There are also two other factors contributing to status attainment that are equally as influential.
Cognitive ability or one's intellect undoubtedly contributes to the probability of one seeking higher education in life. An individual's level of educational attainment reached gives him or her better chance for moving up the occupational ladder as well as giving them a higher status. Cognitive ability is linked to motivation and education which are the other two major influential contributors of status attainment. This aspect of status attainment has nothing to do with one's parental social background, but rather acts on its own as an attribute for achieving higher status attainment. Being a factor independent from family background or motivation and education, cognitive ability cannot be enhanced or a predicate of the likelihood of one achieving a higher status. Someone of great intellect could have no motivation to accomplish anything, and someone of no intellect could be motivated and do great things.
Perhaps the most influential factor in determining one's status attainment is motivation and education. "This plays an important role in status attainment research and has been found to influence both educational attainment and occupational aspirations of young people, as well as the timing of life course transitions" (Schoon, 72). This two way sword works both ways. The higher the motivation a person has the more likely they are to receive higher education and eventually get a higher paying job and vice versa.
Aspects of status attainment that help encourage or influence education and motivation in kids include the symbolic interaction theory. This theory emphasizes the importance of one's family to urge and push their child for achievement. Parent's expectations and aspirations for their kids in socializing them are very influential not only for them to attain better education in life, but also to make them aware of the importance of a good education that will land them a good job in the future. "Correspondingly, social learning theory
Social learning theory
-Theory:Social learning theory is derived from the work of Albert Bandura which proposed that social learning occurred through four main stages of imitation:* close contact* imitation of superiors* understanding of concepts* role model behavior...
may serve as a basis for the attainment of youth through such mechanisms as the modeling of parents’ attainment behavior, parental encouragement of attainment (reinforcement), and the communication of aspirations". Parents in essence teach their kids to become motivated, and inspired for education themselves by setting the example right at home. For instance, if a child sees that his mother or father are lazy and do not care about the well being of his or her education then that child will grow up to believe education is not important. Coincidentally, this negative socializing example from parent to kid leads them astray and their status as an adult will become poor. They may have great intellectual aptitude and have parents that make an average salary, but if they lack one ingredient (motivation), then they will never ascend as far as they could had they been taught better habits at home.
African Americans follow the same path, but their steps are limited. Differences in educational and occupational attainment have declined among African Americans. However, on average, African Americans and Whites begin at different status levels and end in different status levels. Increased schooling benefits everyone, but due to discrimination, white males benefit more. The same results are found in other minority groups and among females.
Socialization vs. allocation
SocializationSocialization
Socialization is a term used by sociologists, social psychologists, anthropologists, political scientists and educationalists to refer to the process of inheriting and disseminating norms, customs and ideologies...
and Allocation
Allocation
Allocation may refer to:* Computers** Delayed allocation** Block allocation map** FAT** IP address allocation** Memory allocation** C++ allocators** No-write allocation ** Register allocation* Economics** Economic system** Asset allocation...
are two different types of status attainment. Both models discuss the importance of how others effect attainments of an individual. "While both are the same in that aspect both differentiate on theoretical interpretations of the same observations and direct our attention to different kinds of phenomena." (Kerckhoff 368-379).
According to Rodney Stark
Rodney Stark
Rodney Stark is an American sociologist of religion. He grew up in Jamestown, North Dakota in a Lutheran family. He spent time in the U.S. Army and worked as a journalist before pursuing graduate studies at The University of California, Berkeley...
, Sociology Tenth Edition, the allocation theories are theories that argue that the primary function of schools is to allocate status, to place students in the stratification system, rather than to train them. (Stark 641). "In other words teachers identify and classify students according to externally imposed criteria." (Kerckhoff 368-379). "Since this seems to imply that social order rests upon consensual values, and that the prestige hierarchy is a function of widespread convergence in moral evaluations, the approach has been criticized as an extension of the functional theory of stratification—although its practitioners strenuously deny this charge." (Marshall 1998). In this model "social agencies" try to determine the path of the individual and the individual is constricted to what they can do, do to the social structure. In most conditions ambition has no effect on outcome and the outcome is usually predictable. Allocation is "based on "plans" and "exceptions" rather than "wishes" or "aspirations". As children get older they become less convinced that everyone has an equal chance to obtain "good things" in life." (Kerckhoff 368-379). The clearest examples of this model are discrimination of race and individual characteristics. In the article "The Status Attainment Process: Socialization or Allocation?" Alan C. Kerckhoff states "rewards black receive for any level of accomplishment are lower than those of whites at the same level".
Socialization
Socialization
Socialization is a term used by sociologists, social psychologists, anthropologists, political scientists and educationalists to refer to the process of inheriting and disseminating norms, customs and ideologies...
, on the other hand, looks for the characteristics that affect the individual.This term is used by many but most commonly used by psychologist
Psychologist
Psychologist is a professional or academic title used by individuals who are either:* Clinical professionals who work with patients in a variety of therapeutic contexts .* Scientists conducting psychological research or teaching psychology in a college...
, sociologists and educationalists to describe the learning of ones culture and how to fit in. Also it teaches one how to act and participate in the society. Referring to the book Sociology, Socialization is the process by which culture
Culture
Culture is a term that has many different inter-related meanings. For example, in 1952, Alfred Kroeber and Clyde Kluckhohn compiled a list of 164 definitions of "culture" in Culture: A Critical Review of Concepts and Definitions...
is learned and internalized by each member of society-much of which occurs during childhood. (Stark 657). Or it can be explained as "the process by which we learn to become members of society, both by internalizing the norms and values of society, and also by learning to perform our social roles." (Marshall 1998). Unlike allocation adults can be enabled to perform new roles. With this model motivation and ability are important factors to help one attain status, this means "Individuals are free to move within the social system, attainments being determined by what the individual does and how well they choose to do it." (Kerckhoff). Some people doubt in this system because they can be influenced by others or misinterpreted to how they feel fit.
Female status attainment
In many parts of the world, status attainment for women is changing dramatically. Now that more women are joining the workforce female status attainment is becoming increasingly self-accomplished rather than through family background or gained through marriage. Still in today's society however, women are much less likely than men to hold full-time jobs. This is especially true with women who come from a less privileged background or who have lower education levels. It is also interesting that women with full-time jobs tend to come from more economic prestige than working males. Rodney StarkRodney Stark
Rodney Stark is an American sociologist of religion. He grew up in Jamestown, North Dakota in a Lutheran family. He spent time in the U.S. Army and worked as a journalist before pursuing graduate studies at The University of California, Berkeley...
suggests that "the average working woman's father has more education and a better job than does the father of the average employed male".
Even though women hold fewer jobs than men in some societies, women hold jobs of higher prestige than their male counterparts. This is probably because it is not beneficial for women who are married with children to go out and get lower-paying, lower status jobs because the economic benefits cancel themselves out in the end. Married working women also hold less prestigious jobs than their spouses. This is partially because married people tend to share the same economic backgrounds as well as education levels, and partially because in the process of evolutions, sexual dimorphism
Sexual dimorphism
Sexual dimorphism is a phenotypic difference between males and females of the same species. Examples of such differences include differences in morphology, ornamentation, and behavior.-Examples:-Ornamentation / coloration:...
has triggered women to prefer wealthy husbands.
In the past, females generally attained their status through family background or marriage. Although it is still true today, females are becoming more independent and socially mobile in many parts of the world. The increased independence and social mobility has led to an increase in women attaining their own status rather than attaining their status through family circumstances and/or through marriage.
"Many researchers have found that male and female status attainment processes are virtually identical while others have reported gender differences in the importance of mental ability and family background variables as predictors of attainment". In low income and rural communities where male and female roles are traditionally distinctly defined female and male job expectations are excluded from one another. Women are generally held at bay as the traditional "stay at home" mother, or occupy secretarial jobs while men occupy business and managerial positions. This indicates that these community's youths are being taught and expected to follow these gender guidelines. Consequentially, in these circumstances women's attainment processes are being hindered by stereotypes and traditional ways of thinking.
As a result women face a different type of socialization process than men do. Early childhood experiences are very influential for women. In particular, family, marriage, and early child bearing have great importance for the attainment of women (Wilson & Peterson). Women's attainment in rural and low income communities are shaped by more traditional views of gender roles. Enhancing educational goals and motivation for seeking higher paying jobs are generally discouraged for women in these rural and low-income communities.
Occupational status
Status attainment is directly related to occupational status. Occupational status and the attainment thereof is perhaps the core idea of status attainment. Status in the workforce is affected by many factors, most notably, gender, parent status, and work trends. Some major studies have proved these factors to be truly important. One such study that of John PorterJohn Porter (sociologist)
John Arthur Porter was one of Canada's most important sociologists during the period from 1950 to the late 1970s. His work in the field of social stratification opened up new areas of inquiry for many sociologists in Canada.Porter was born in Vancouver and completed his education at the London...
, a Canadian, we will focus on.
In the 1973 survey conducted in Canada, Porter began to explore ideas of occupational status attainment. John Porter started his study believing that Canadians were less mobile than Americans in terms of climbing the occupational status ladder. In fact it was quite the opposite, Canadians as well as Americans had higher occupational statuses if their parents were high on the status ladder. This study also showed that gender can be important as well. Women who have full time jobs come from families higher up on the occupational ladder than men do. Work trends as well are a major factor in determining the occupational status of a person. We have seen a large shift of the workforce move from the agriculture aspect to largely skilled jobs. Since, few are left to labor in the agricultural field, we’ve found that those left are not unskilled laborers but rather farm owners. Thus a large shift in the occupational status of an average person in the agricultural sector has occurred.
To end, these findings and others can tell us many things about the status attainment of average persons. Most importantly they tell us that status is not simply attained through on underlying cause or factor but rather by a multitude of factors. In studying these factors more we can understand how they affect all aspects of status attainment.
Current research
- A research study of the country of VietnamVietnamVietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
was conducted by the University of Utah in 2003. The study was focused upon the status attainment processes experienced by a generation of young men and women entering school and work roles during the transition of socialism to market economy in the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (Korinek). The analysis of the research seemed to show similar results to earlier implications on how status is attained through quality education rather than job, or social status of their parents. - Blau and Duncan model: studies by Peter M. Blau and Otis Dudley Duncan in 1962, tested the correlation between son's occupational status with father's occupational status. Their studies were limited to males and showed two aspects of a person's social classSocial classSocial classes are economic or cultural arrangements of groups in society. Class is an essential object of analysis for sociologists, political scientists, economists, anthropologists and social historians. In the social sciences, social class is often discussed in terms of 'social stratification'...
of origin: father's educational achievements and occupational prestige; both ascriptive status traits (fixed at birth). The purpose of the study was to test whether ascriptive or achieved characteristics directly affected status attainment of the child. Higher father's educational achievements could yield higher child's educational achievement due to higher expectations and more support for attainment. Higher father's occupational prestige could increase educational expectations for the child as well as providing financial resources to support higher education. This model set the foundation for further investigation. - Blau and Duncan both analyzed status attainment within a wide framework by using a basic mobility model. They thought that it would be easiest to analyze if they examined the process by which men move up and down the social ladder in their family of origin to adult positions in a hierarchy of occupations. "Rather than depicting the father-son relationship in a cross-tabular form, the regression method made it possible to approximate the process by which the son's status was attained" Schoon, Ingrid (2008), A Transgenerational Model of Status Attainment: the Potential Mediating Role of School Motivation and Education, National Institute Economic Review, pp. 72–81. This model was coined the Wisconsin modelWisconsin modelThe Wisconsin model of socio-economic attainment is a model that describes and explains an individual's social mobility and its economic, social, and psychological determinants. The logistics of this model are primarily attributed to William H. Sewell, as well as his colleagues Archibald Haller and...
. It focused on the processes of individuals developing personal qualities, such as motivation or skills at a given task that lead to educational achievement and eventually to positions on the occupational ladder. Acknowledgments between education, family status, and young people's ability levels as well as their motivations and aspirations were all contributive to one's status attainment. - Wisconsin model: developed by William H. Sewell and his associates, further studied the mold set forth by Blau and Duncan. Their addition of variables such as: a child's mental ability, educational achievement, peer influence and personal aspirations, helped link stratification and mental ability inputs through a set of social psychological and behavioral mechanisms to educational and occupational attainment. These subjective variables added a social psychological side that Blau and Duncan lacked in their research. The study did not make any definite solutions of child status attainment but contributed greatly to encourage even further research.
- Other studies have spurred the debate over what constitutes status attainment? In the UK for example, controversies arise over whether or not one's own merit (ability and effort) should have precedence over one's own background and class distinctions. Saunders found "that class background only has a small influence on occupational attainment, while individual ability and motivation play by far a greater role".
- On the other hand, opposing evidence formulated opinions that "there is still a substantial effect of social class of origin on own adult social status after controlling for general cognitive ability and academic motivation". Moreover, there is also evidence that differences in education and higher qualifications reached clearly indicates more importance than ability and motivation when it comes to class effects of origin on adult outcomes.