Occupational Representativeness and Prestige Rating: Some Observations

The authors examine occupational representativeness for its effect on prestige ratings. Compositions of occupational listings do not affect ratings. Career counseling implications are noted.     

Perceptions of occupational prestige: Differences between African American and White college students

The present study examined perceptions of occupational prestige among university students. One hundred and twenty-four African American and 174 White students rated the prestige levels of 36 occupations evenly sampled from the six RIASEC types and three levels of prestige. Results indicated that there was a significant difference in perception of occupational prestige. African Americans reported more prestige for R, S, E, and C occupations than did Whites. For African Americans there was a positive relation between endorsement of the centrality of African American identity and prestige ratings R, A, S, and E. These results suggest that perceptions of prestige vary across and within ethnicity and also provide additional insight into how prestige might influence African American students' occupational selection.     

Stereotypes of males and females in two occupations

Male and female raters evaluated a male or a female civil engineer or custodian on six characteristics. Factor analysis identified three orthogonal dimensions in these ratings: Rationality, Emotionality, and Likability. Rationality correlated highly with occupational prestige, while Emotionality was uncorrelated with prestige. Likability ratings exposed an interaction between sex of rater and sex of ratee, female raters finding females in these occupations far less likable than males. It is concluded that the sex of an occupational incumbent may have important effects on stereotypical image associated with that individual.     

The industrial prestige hierarchy

The major concerns of this research were to determine the prestige evaluations of selected industries by individuals representing diverse groups, and to compare the results with a previous study. Questionnaires were administered to five occupational subgroups (accountants, personnel managers, secretaries, electricians, security guards) and two university groups, one composed of white students, the other of black students. A total of 400 respondents indicated their prestige ratings of 30 industries in terms of a five-point scale. The major findings may be summarized as follows: (1) the industries were perceived to be arranged hierarchically as to prestige but many of the differences were not statistically significant; (2) various subgroups of the sample shared a closely similar evaluation pattern; and (3) industrial ratings had changed but little through time and did not vary significantly from one geographical area to another.     

Contributions to Global Self-Esteem: The Role of Importance Attached to Self-Concepts Associated with the Five-Factor Model

Previous research has attempted to clarify the relations that one's self-concepts have with one's global self-esteem. One hypothesis that has received the most attention to date is the view that characteristic attributes that an individual regards as especially important for his or her self-concepts exert the greatest influence on self-esteem. In an investigation of this hypothesis, 375 college undergraduates completed measures of global self-esteem as well as rating scales that assessed self-concepts and the importance attached to these self-concepts in the maintenance of self-esteem. The self-concept and importance domains examined corresponded to the five-factor model (FFM) personality dimensions. Consistent with previous research, importance ratings attached to self-concepts were not found to moderate the relation between self-concepts and self-esteem. Rather, ratings on self-concepts alone accounted for a substantial proportion of variance (53.3%) in self-esteem scores. Bivariate correlations based on FFM dimension scores and self-esteem scores revealed consistent positive associations. Hierarchical regression analyses indicated that among the FFM dimensions, self-concept ratings for emotional stability (vs neuroticism), extraversion, and agreeableness significantly predicted self-esteem.     

The actual and retrospective-occupational self-concept dimensions of retired educators

A 20-item adjective checklist was used by 118 retired educators to describe their actual and retrospective-occupational self-concepts. The men made their retrospective ratings for middle-aged and preretired occupational roles. The intercorrelations among the self-concept ratings were multiple-set factor analyzed, and seven common dimensions were identified: (1) stability, (2) conventionality, (3) independence, (4) practicality, (5) status, (6) confidence, and (7) cleverness. The results suggested that the retired educators had used the same dimensions in describing their actual and retrospective-occupational self-concepts. The percentages of variance contributed by the dimensions within the self-concept structures were also reported and discussed within the framework of career development.     

3~5岁幼儿职业声望垂直空间、大小双重隐喻发展

为探讨3~5岁幼儿职业声望认知及职业声望垂直空间、大小双重隐喻的发展规律,研究采用将高声望职业人物和低声望职业人物图片放置垂直空间的上方/下方和大/小的人物剪影图片的任务操作。通过2个实验及综合分析结果发现：3岁幼儿职业声望隐喻理解能力开始萌芽,高职业声望为“上”的正极概念隐喻开始出现; 4岁幼儿职业声望隐喻理解能力得到发展,已形成高职业声望为“上”、“大”,低职业声望为“下”、“小”的双重隐喻能力; 5岁幼儿职业声望的双重隐喻能力进一步加强。研究揭示：3~5岁幼儿对职业声望的隐喻加工存在正极优势。幼儿对职业声望的垂直空间和大小双重隐喻理解能力的发展不同步,职业声望的垂直空间隐喻发展优于大小隐喻。     

The relationship of self and occupational concepts to the occupational preferences of adolescents

This study tested aspects of Super's self-concept theory of career development with a sample of British schoolchildren. Findings suggested that self-concepts and concepts of occupational preferences do have a role in career development, though there were some indications that the theory is more applicable to more able youngsters and to those high in self-esteem, than to others. Agreement between ideal-self-concepts and occupational preference concepts was significantly greater than that between actual-self-concepts and occupational preference concepts. This finding was interpreted as reflecting the youngsters' greater concern for the future and the possible, rather than the present and the given, and it suggested that refinements are needed in Super's theory.     

Occupational prestige: A sex-neutral concept?

This study addresses the generalizability of measures of occupational prestige to men and women. Respondents were asked to evaluate the prestige of occupations and to rate male and female incumbents in these occupations. Results suggest that the general prestige of occupations is best predicted by the sex-typical jobholder. This research demonstrates that the seemingly sex-neutral concept of occupational prestige incorporates strong sex-linked assumptions. Implications of these findings for occupational prestige and for the social sciences in general are discussed.     

Scaling occupational prestige by magnitude estimation and category rating methods: A comparison with the sensory domain

In a field study, models for magnitude estimation and for category ratings are applied to the scaling of occupational prestige. The two respective models provide sufficient conditions for magnitude estimates to yield logarithmic interval scales and for category ratings to lead to interval scales. Both models are found to hold reasonably well for the majority of respondents. As implied by a third model, the relation between magnitude estimation and category rating scales can well be described by a generalized power function. Although overall results do not favour one method over the other individual data analyses reveal substantial interindividual differences with respect to the capability of performing magnitude estimates and category ratings, respectively. The findings are compared to results recently found in psychophysical laboratory experiments, and it is concluded that the individual scale properties the two methods provide do not differ across the attitudinal and the sensory domains.     

Distinctive self and occupational member concepts in different occupational preference groups

This investigation attempted to test and extend selected aspects of Super's self-concept theory of career development. Four hundred twenty-eight male college student subjects, representing 39 college majors, selected their most-preferred occupational interest areas from a list of 14 factorially separable areas. The students described both themselves and their most-preferred occupational member concepts with Adjective Check List items. Individuals with demonstrably different self-concepts and occupational preferences displayed differences in the concepts that they held of members of their preferred occupational areas. Relatively distinct dimensions of similarity of self and occupational member concepts among students who preferred the same occupational area were also found.     

Gottfredson的职业抱负发展理论简介与研究评述

戈特弗雷德森（L.S.Gottfredson）的职业发展理论是有关职业抱负的内容及其发展的理论。该理论从职业类型、社会地位和性别类型3个维度对职业抱负的发展进行了论述,并提出了职业抱负的发展阶段论和决策过程中的妥协论。该文首先对戈特弗雷德森的职业抱负的发展理论做了简要介绍,然后从职业抱负的范围限定和妥协过程两个方面对已有的有关研究进行了回顾,并提出了已有研究中存在的问题和不足,最后论述了职业抱负发展理论在学校职业辅导中的应用     

Estimating occupational prestige

The occupational prestige literature provides evidence of prestige hierarchies that have remained relatively intact for over 60 years. This article draws from the occupational prestige literature in describing the development of prestige estimates for occupations contained in the Minnesota Occupational Classification System III (MOCS III). The first phase of development consisted of an empirical study that involved ranking three sets of 25 occupations. The results provided prestige estimates for 60 occupations and a comparison of prestige scores for 8 “benchmark” occupations. The second phase of development involved testing the comparability of these results with a larger data base. The third phase of development extended the ability to estimate occupational prestige by using a regression equation that allows for assigning prestige estimates to approximately 20,000 occupations. Potential use of the prestige score in the MOCS III is discussed in relation to vocational counseling.     

Images of occupations: Components of gender and status in occupational stereotypes

A multidimensional approach to occupational gender type was explored. In Study 1, participants' spontaneous images of various jobs were elicited. The attributes generated were used to develop a job images questionnaire employed in Study 2 on which participants rated a random sample of 100 occupational titles. Occupational images were primarily structured on two orthogonal dimensions: prestige and gender type. The multidimensional approach to occupational gender-type was supported in that important gender-related occupational attributes (masculine personality trait requirements and analytical skills) did not load on the gender-type factor, but did load highly on the prestige factor. Thus, even though the prestige and gender-type factors were orthogonal, specific gender-related attributes were related to perceived occupational prestige.     

General mental ability,conscientiousness, and the work–family interface: A test of mediating pathways

This study proposed a model in which employee general mental ability (GMA) and conscientiousness are linked to work–family conflict and enrichment through their relationship with occupational prestige and coping styles. We evaluated this model in a sample of 709 working adults from the National Survey of Midlife Development II in the United States. Results indicate that, through occupational prestige and subsequent psychological job demands and financial well-being, GMA was related to work-to-family conflict (WFC) and family-to-work conflict (FWC). GMA was also related to work-to-family enrichment (WFE) but not family-to-work enrichment (FWE) through occupational prestige and autonomy. In contrast, conscientiousness did not influence work–family outcomes through occupational prestige. Additionally, GMA and conscientiousness were both related to WFE/FWE through problem coping, whereas conscientiousness was related to FWC through avoidance coping. Examining the relative effects of GMA and conscientiousness, we found that the indirect effects of GMA through occupational prestige were stronger than those of conscientiousness, whereas the indirect effects of conscientiousness through problem coping were stronger than those of GMA. We discuss our findings in terms of the mechanisms through which stable individual differences may exert influences on work–family outcomes.     

RELATIONSHIPS AMONG PAY, RACE, SEX, OCCUPATIONAL PRESTIGE, SUPERVISION, WORK AUTONOMY, AND JOB SATISFACTION IN A NATIONAL SAMPLE

Published evidence, based largely on bivariate methods of analysis, generally suggests that pay, race, occupational prestige, supervisory status, and work autonomy are associated with job satisfaction and that sex is not. Regression analysis of a representative sample of U.S. workers, which partialled out the effects of a number of other variables, affirms that supervisory status makes an independent contribution to job satisfaction and that sex is unrelated, but suggests that the zero-order effects of pay, race, occupational prestige, and work autonomy are spurious.     

The Relationship of Sex to Occupational Prestige

This study asked the question, Does the prestige of an occupation vary with the sex of the worker? For example, do male and female vocational counselors have the same occupational prestige? An equisection scaling procedure was used to develop an instrument to measure occupational prestige. When this instrument was administered to a sample of graduate students in guidance, some significant results were found but none of them held up on cross-validation. Neither was the differential allocation of prestige a function of the sex of the judge nor the form of the instrument     

Childhood cognitive ability,education, and personality traits predict attainment in adult occupational prestige over 17 years

This study explored a longitudinal data set of nearly 5000 adults examining the effects of childhood cognitive ability (measured at age 11), parental social class (measured at birth), and personality on current occupational prestige (all measured at age 50), taking account the effects of education and the previous occupational levels (both measured at age 33). Participants' levels of occupational attainment significantly went up from age 33 to age 50. Correlational analysis showed childhood cognitive ability, parental social class, education and occupation, and personality traits (openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, emotional stability) were all significantly associated with current occupational prestige. The strongest correlates of current occupational levels were educational qualifications, followed by childhood cognitive ability, parental social class, and personality traits. Structural equation modelling showed that for the change of occupation over 17 years, the strongest predictor was education, followed by childhood intelligence. Personality traits (extraversion, conscientiousness, and openness) had modest but significant influence in the upgrading of occupational attainment over the period of time, and parental social status predicted occupational change mediated through education and initial occupational levels. Education and childhood intelligence are more powerful predictors of current occupational prestige than personality factors or family social background. The implications for policy making and equal opportunities for education are discussed.     

Information on Projected-Growth Occupations: Its Effect on Individuals' Prestige Ratings

The authors examine information on projected growth occupations and its effects on prestige ratings. Growth data does not affect the ratings. Career counseling implications are also discussed.