Recent Trends in the Occupational Mobility of Negroes, 1930-1960: An Intracohort Analysis

Abstract

An intracohort analysis of occupational trends produced more consistent results than did conventional approaches to study of labor force change. There was a trend of convergence between occupational distributions of white and Negro males from 1930 to 1940 and, especially, from 1940 to 1950, which did not hold, however, during fifties. Figures for South showed a trend of convergence similar to that of country as a whole during 1940's, but, in contrast to popular opinlion, Negro lost notable occupational ground in South during fifties. The factor of education was found to be of special importance for Negro's mobility dutring periods of sutbstantial occupational change. R ecent trends in occupational distribution of Negroes in labor force of United States have been analyzed with contradictory results by several wellknown social scientists. There are, to begin with, static, cross-sectional comparisons by Myrdall and Taeuber and Taeuber.2 Myrdal concluded that Negroes usually fail to improve their opportunities by staying in school longer. But Taeuber and Taeuber found, on other hand, that there are close associations between levels of education and occupational concentrations, although educational levels of nonwhite men in specific occupations are somewhat below those of all men in same education. Important trend analyses more recently were by Bogue3 and Miller.4 Bogue suggested that while occupational differential between whites and nonwhites is still very large, very substantial changes have been made since 1940. Miller conversely concluded that the relative occupational status of nonwhites has not changed appreciably since 1940. One contribution of present report -aside from its attempt to illuminate specific trends in occupational distribution of Negroes, with special reference to factor of education-is its deemonstration that conventional analytical approaches can produce these (livergent results.