Higher Occupational Prestige Research Articles

For Whom Does One Toil? Time Use Differentials, Social Reproduction, and Occupational Prestige

Social reproduction theory builds upon Marxist theories that center on the extent to which labor power is the source of capital’s growth through the exploitation of the working class, providing a unique lens for analyzing how labor power differences may contribute to structural inequity. While research has shown that women and girls are primarily responsible for the majority of unpaid reproductive labor, little research has considered how time spent in unpaid work may also vary by social class position. We utilize nationally representative data from the American Time Use Survey to estimate time use differentials across occupational prestige deciles, separately by gender, to address this question. We find that higher occupational prestige is significantly associated with less time spent on unpaid household labor for women, but not for men. Our results highlight the complex nature of unpaid reproductive work under capitalism, emphasizing the importance of considering social class positions when examining inequities in the unpaid work burden.

The Mediating Role of Self-stigma of Seeking Help in the Relationship between Perceived Occupational Prestige and Mental Health: A Cross-Sectional Study on Medical Doctors

Based on social identity theory, this study aimed at evaluating the effect of perceived occupational prestige and self-stigma of seeking help on mental health issues (depression, stress, and anxiety) among medical doctors. A self-administered questionnaire survey was conducted on 374 medical doctors working in Vietnam with convenient sampling strategies. The study employed the 22-item version of the Perception of Occupational Status Survey (POSS), the Self-stigma of Seeking Help Scale (SSOSH), and the 21-item version of the Depression-Anxiety-Stress Scale (DASS-21). Results showed that perceived occupational prestige had a negative association with mental health issues among medical doctors. Furthermore, results suggested that the relationship between perceived occupational prestige and mental health was mediated by self-stigma of seeking help. Self-stigma of seeking help increased the risk of mental health issues. However, medical doctors perceived high occupational prestige, which weakened self-stigma of seeking help, and therefore, it indirectly reduces the risk of mental health issues among medical doctors. The results hence provide empirical support for social identity hypothesis. Based on the results, the study also provides some practical suggestions for therapists working with healthcare professionals in intervening mental health issues.

Status and Just Gender Pay Gaps: Results of a Vignette Study

The authors present results from a multifactorial survey experiment conducted on a sample of Polish working-age adults querying their evaluations of just pay for men and women. The experiment was designed to investigate whether gender pay gaps are considered fair and to what extent they can be explained by status-based processes. Respondents rated the fairness of the earnings of hypothetical men and women with different ages and parenthood statuses in 21 occupations. The occupations differed in prestige and gender composition. The authors find that perceived just earnings for women are marginally lower than they are for otherwise identical men, regardless of respondents’ characteristics. Just gender pay gaps are largest among incumbents of high-prestige occupations and in male-dominated and gender-balanced occupations. The authors also find that motherhood penalties are not acceptable. In fact, respondents view both men and women with more than two children as deserving of a parenthood bonus.

Probability and predictors of long-term smoking relapse among Chinese adult smokers: A longitudinal study

Numerous smokers attempt to quit smoking, but most cessation efforts prove unsuccessful. Scarce evidence exists regarding predictors of long-term relapse in China. This study aims to evaluate the probability of relapse and examine factors may contribute to relapse among Chinese adults. A dynamic cohort of 6,036 observations on 2,378 adult quitters was constructed from the China Family Panel Studies in 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016 and 2018. The life table method was employed to calculate the probability of relapse for long-term smoking abstinence. Multivariate complementary log-log survival models were developed to examine the predictors of smoking relapse. We found that the probability of relapse decreased as the duration of abstinence increased, with rates of 49.07 %, 20.05 %, 10.29 %, and 6.63 % at 2, 4, 6, and 8 years of abstinence, respectively. The cumulative probability of relapse within 8 years was 65.89 %. Age ≥65 years, higher educational attainment, respiratory disease, and a satisfying lifestyle were associated with a reduced likelihood of relapse. Conversely, higher occupational prestige, alcohol drinking, cohabitant smoking, and greater future confidence were associated with an increased risk of relapse. These findings demonstrated that the probability of relapse decreased progressively over time, with most relapses occurring in the initial two years following quit attempts. Predictors of Chinese quitters’ relapse behavior in our study were similar to those in previous studies. Drinking and cohabitant smoking were identified as strong predictors of relapse in this population.

The plateauing of cognitive ability among top earners

Abstract Are the best-paying jobs with the highest prestige done by individuals of great intelligence? Past studies find job success to increase with cognitive ability, but do not examine how, conversely, ability varies with job success. Stratification theories suggest that social background and cumulative advantage dominate cognitive ability as determinants of high occupational success. This leads us to hypothesize that among the relatively successful, average ability is concave in income and prestige. We draw on Swedish register data containing measures of cognitive ability and labour-market success for 59,000 men who took a compulsory military conscription test. Strikingly, we find that the relationship between ability and wage is strong overall, yet above €60,000 per year ability plateaus at a modest level of +1 standard deviation. The top 1 per cent even score slightly worse on cognitive ability than those in the income strata right below them. We observe a similar but less pronounced plateauing of ability at high occupational prestige.

The significance of occupations, family responsibilities, and gender for working from home: Lessons from COVID-19.

Before the pandemic, many employers were hesitant to offer their employees the option of working from home. However, remote working has been widely adopted during the pandemic as one of the key methods of controlling the spread of the virus. The measure encountered a widespread acceptance and it is likely that the demand for work from home as a flexible work arrangement will persist also after the pandemic has ended. Although numerous studies have addressed the role of remote work during this crisis, as of yet we lack thorough research jointly addressing the question on how occupations/job characteristics on the one hand and family/household responsibilities on the other are associated with the propensity of working from home, and how gender cuts across those aspects. Using the COVID-19 survey of the German Family Panel (pairfam), covering the peak of the first wave of the pandemic in 2020, together with information from pairfam panel waves conducted before the pandemic, as well as a special evaluation of the 2019 German Labor Force Survey, we are able to address this gap. Employing linear probability models on a sample of 1,414 men (N = 641) and women (N = 773), our results show that occupational traits, especially the gender composition of an occupation, are an important predictor for working from home. Women employed in female-dominated occupations are less often in a position to work from home. Furthermore, our study confirms that it is particularly the highly educated, as well as those who work in high-prestige occupations, who are able to work from home. Family configurations and care obligations are less influential upon the transition to homeworking, even in times of an unprecedented situation of school and daycare closures and increased parental responsibilities for children’s (early) education.

My Work Is Meaningless: The Consequences of Perceived Occupational Stigma for Employees in High-Prestige Occupations.

Occupational stigma is pervasive, but there is a lack of understanding about how it impacts the behaviors of employees in relatively high-prestige occupations. We draw on the job characteristics model and social information processing theory to establish hypotheses about the effects of occupational stigma on the withdrawal behavior of employees in a relatively high-prestige occupation (preschool teacher). We suggest that perceptions of skill variety and task significance among high-prestige employees may be negatively influenced due to occupational stigma perception. In addition, occupational stigma conveys information to employees that the work they do is not appreciated by beneficiaries. For those reasons, making it difficult for them to perceive the meaningfulness of their work. This lack of meaningful experience is in turn positively associated with employees’ withdrawal behavior. Furthermore, we propose that these indirect effects are moderated by perceived job embeddedness of employees. Based on data collected at two time points from 466 preschool teachers in China, we find that occupational stigma is positively related to employees’ withdrawal behavior through meaningfulness. In addition, the negative relationship between perceived occupational stigma and experienced meaningfulness is stronger for employees with high job embeddedness than for employees with low job embeddedness.

Upgrading or Polarizing? Gendered Patterns of Change in the Occupational Prestige Hierarchy Between 1997 and 2015.

This article contributes to the discussion on how the Swedish labor market is changing: is it upgrading or polarizing? Drawing on the Swedish Labor Force Survey the study examines the overall changes in the occupational job structure in Sweden by exploring how women and men were distributed within the occupational prestige hierarchy at two points of time, 1997 and 2015. The results show that changes in the labor market have resulted in different patterns of how women and men are distributed within the occupational prestige hierarchy. Women have an upgrading movement and have entered high-prestige occupations, while men have been subjected to job polarization, with an increase in employment in low-prestige occupations, as well as high-prestige ones.

Socioeconomic differences in metabolic syndrome development: examining the mediating role of chronic stress using the Lifelines Cohort Study

BackgroundMetabolic syndrome (MetS) development strongly varies based on individuals’ socioeconomic position (SEP), but to date, no studies have assessed the mediating role of perceived stress from long-term difficulties (chronic stress) in this association. The aim of this study is to examine the mediating role of chronic stress in the associations of the SEP measures education, occupational prestige and income, with MetS development, and whether associations between chronic stress and MetS are moderated by sex.MethodsWe used an adult subsample (n = 53,216) from the Lifelines Cohort Study without MetS at baseline. MetS development was measured 3.9 years after baseline (follow-up), and defined according to National Cholesterol Education Program’s Adult Treatment Panel III (NCEP-ATPIII) criteria. Direct associations between SEP, chronic stress and MetS development were estimated using multivariable logistic and linear regression analyses, and were adjusted for age, sex, the other SEP measures, and time between baseline and follow-up. The mediating percentages of chronic stress explaining the associations between SEP and MetS development were estimated using the Karlson-Holm-Breen method.ResultsUpon follow-up, 7.4% of the participants had developed MetS. Years of education and occupational prestige were inversely associated with MetS development. Chronic stress suppressed the association between education and MetS development (5.6%), as well as the association between occupational prestige and MetS development (6.2%). No effect modification of sex on the chronic stress-MetS pathway was observed.ConclusionsChronic stress does not explain educational and occupational differences in developing MetS. In fact, individuals with more years of education or higher occupational prestige perceive more chronic stress than their lower SEP counterparts. Further, no difference between males and females was observed regarding the relationship between chronic stress and MetS development.

Social Capital and Running: A Network Social Capital Perspective

This study examines the measurement of position generators as a proxy of network social capital (NSC) and its influence on the extensity and upper reachability of social capital and sport/running participation. An analysis of 373 runners shows that running exercise participants rely on diverse relations to access and increase their social capital levels; stronger ties with the accessed occupations via running activities can help reach people with higher occupational prestige; access to more intermediate class occupations is significantly positively associated with upper reachability, whereas access to more working class occupations is significantly negatively associated with upper reachability; those who are older and have strong ties with people in accessed occupations known via running activities have higher levels of sport/running participation. We provide evidence for the application of NSC theory in sport to better understand how social networks operate by accessing extensity and upper reachability of social capital and how NSC influences sport (running) participation.

Occupational prestige and sickness absence inequality in Sweden: a registry-based study

Abstract Background Socioeconomic position has been linked to sickness absence (SA). However, less is known about the role of occupational prestige, a measure of social status afforded by one's occupation, in SA. To expand knowledge on socioeconomic determinants of SA and on gender differences in SA, this study aimed to investigate the association between occupational prestige and SA and the distribution of the association in women and men. The study also aimed to analyze the effects of intersections of gender and occupational prestige on SA. Methods The study was based on data of 97 397 employed individuals aged 25-59 years selected from the 2004, 2007 and 2010 waves of the Swedish Labour Force Survey. Baseline occupational prestige was measured with the Standard International Occupational Prestige Scale. Information on SA was retrieved from the national register. Two measures of SA were defined: the number of SA days in any particular year during a 3-year follow-up and long-term (>120 days) SA based on data of participants with at least one sick leave spell during the follow-up. Results Working in lower prestige occupations was associated with increased SA among women and men. The association was independent of other socioeconomic indicators, such as income, education, and occupational class. In the intersectional analysis, women regardless of prestige level and men in lower prestige occupations had higher probability of SA compared with men in high prestige occupations. Women in high prestige occupations had the highest absenteeism rates (IRR, 2.25, 95%CI, 2.20-2.31), while men in medium prestige occupations had the lowest rates (IRR, 1.17, 95%CI, 1.13-1.20). Compared with the rest of the groups, men in low and medium prestige occupations had higher odds for long-term absence. Conclusions Women, regardless of occupational prestige level, and men in lower occupational prestige had an increased risk of sickness absence. Key messages Occupational prestige was associated with sickness absence in women and men. There is need to pay close attention to occupational prestige as a factor that may influence health and labor market participation.

Socioeconomic differences in major depressive disorder onset and the role of lifestyle factors

Abstract Background Major depressive disorder (MDD) onset strongly varies by socioeconomic position (SEP). One of the pathways that could explain the SEP-MDD onset relationship is via lifestyle factors, but little is known about this pathway. This study aims to disentangle the complex interplay between SEP measures, education, income and occupational prestige, and MDD development and to what extent the associations are mediated by lifestyle (related) factors, occupational and leisure time physical activity, smoking, alcohol intake, diet quality, sleep and central adiposity. Methods An adult subsample (n = 76,045) of the Lifelines Cohort Study without MDD at baseline was used. MDD onset was measured after a median follow-up time of 3.8 years with the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI). Direct associations between the SEP measures, the lifestyle factors and MDD onset were estimated, independent of age, sex, depression history and time between baseline and second assessment, using logistic regression analyses. Mediating percentages were estimated using the Karlson-Holm-Breen method. Results A total of 1,864 participants (2.5%) developed MDD during follow-up. Education, income and occupational prestige were inversely associated with MDD onset. Educational differences in MDD onset were for 18.7% explained by lifestyle factors, with smoking (9.1%) and central adiposity (6.7%) being the strongest mediating factors. Income differences in MDD onset were for 5.9% explained by lifestyle factors, with alcohol intake (4.0%) and central adiposity (2.6%) being the strongest mediating factors. Occupational prestige differences in MDD onset were not explained by lifestyle factors. Conclusions Individuals with a higher education, income or occupational prestige had a lower risk of MDD onset compared to their lower SEP counterparts. This was mainly due to a healthier lifestyle, with smoking, alcohol intake and central adiposity being the most important factors. Key messages Education, income and occupational prestige were inversely associated with MDD onset. Educational and income differences were mainly explained by smoking, alcohol intake and central adiposity.

Socioeconomic differences in metabolic syndrome development and the role of perceived stress

Abstract Background Metabolic syndrome (MetS) incidence strongly varies by socioeconomic position (SEP), but to date, no studies have assessed the mediating role of perceived stress from long-term difficulties (chronic stress) in this association. This study examines the mediating role of chronic stress in the associations between SEP measures education, occupational prestige and income, and incident MetS and whether the associations between chronic stress and MetS are moderated by sex. Methods An adult subsample (n = 53,216) of the Lifelines Cohort Study without MetS at baseline was used. MetS incidence was measured at follow-up (median follow-up time 3.9 years) defined according to the NCEP-ATPIII criteria. Chronic stress was measured with the Long-term Difficulties Inventory (LDI) and consists of 12 items evaluating (on a 3-point Likert scale) to what extent various domains of life had been perceived as stressful during the last year. Direct associations between SEP, chronic stress and incident MetS were estimated using multivariable logistic and linear regression analyses, adjusted for age, sex, the other SEP measures and follow-up time. The mediating percentages of chronic stress explaining the associations between SEP and incident MetS were estimated using the Karlson-Holm-Breen method. Results At follow-up 7.4% of the participants developed MetS. Years of education and occupational prestige were inversely associated with MetS incidence. Chronic stress suppressed the association between education and MetS incidence (5.4%) as well as the association between occupational prestige and MetS incidence (6.0%). No effect modification of sex in the chronic stress-MetS pathway was observed. Conclusions Chronic stress does not explain educational and occupational differences in developing MetS. In fact, individuals with more years of education or a higher occupational prestige perceive more chronic stress, compared to their lower SEP counterparts. Key messages Education and occupational prestige are inversely associated with metabolic syndrome incidence. Chronic stress does not explain SEP differences in developing metabolic syndrome.

Occupational prestige and sickness absence inequality in employed women and men in Sweden: a registry-based study

ObjectivesSocioeconomic position has been linked to sickness absence (SA). However, less is known about the role of occupational prestige, a measure of social status afforded by one’s occupation, in SA....

Understanding socioeconomic differences in incident metabolic syndrome among adults: What is the mediating role of health behaviours?

BackgroundThe incidence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) strongly varies by socioeconomic position (SEP), but little is known about the mediating role of health behaviours in this association. This study examines the associations between the SEP measures, education, income and occupational prestige, and incident MetS and whether the associations are mediated by health behaviours, including physical activity, smoking, alcohol intake and diet quality. MethodsA subsample (n = 85,910) of the adult Lifelines Cohort Study without MetS at baseline was used. MetS was measured at the second assessment (median follow-up time 3.8 years) defined according to the NCEP-ATPIII criteria. Direct associations between SEP, health behaviours and incident MetS were estimated using multivariable logistic regression analyses. The mediating percentages of health behaviours explaining the associations between SEP and incident MetS were estimated using the Karlson-Holm-Breen method. Analyses were independent of age, sex, the other SEP measures and follow-up time. ResultsEducation and occupational prestige were inversely associated with MetS. Income was not associated with MetS. Health behaviours explained only partly (13.8%) the association between education and MetS, with smoking as the strongest mediating factor (8.8%). Health behaviours played also a minor role (2.7%) in explaining occupational MetS differences, with physical activity as the strongest suppressing factor (−9.4%). ConclusionIndividuals with more years of education or a higher occupational prestige had a lower risk to develop MetS. This was mainly because of non-smoking, less excessive alcohol intake and a higher diet quality. However, individuals with a higher SEP were more often physically inactive.

Storming the Last Bastions: Women Entering High Prestige Male-Dominated Occupations

While substantial progress has occurred, men continue to predominate in a number of high-prestige occupations. Women entering prestigious and rewarding occupations predominated by men often experience biased perceptions, a sense of misfit to the position, and an unwelcoming workplace. In this symposium, five research teams from Canada, the U.K., the U.S., and Germany present new research examining women’s experiences in high prestige male-dominated fields. Deploying both quantitative and qualitative research methods in a global set of studies, together, these scholars trace the contemporary experiences of women in male-dominated fields from attraction, to selection, to participation/empowerment, to performance, and finally, the achievement of equal pay. Altogether, the combined set of findings provides a fresh understanding of contemporary challenges as well as new evidence-based solutions for improving women’s participation and experiences in these relatively munificent, high-prestige settings. Glass Cliff or Speed Bump? Gender Diversity in U.S. Mutual Fund Management Teams: 1992 – 2016 Presenter: Saurin Patel; Ivey Business School Presenter: Natasha Ouslis; Western U. Presenter: Alison M. Konrad; Ivey Business School Presenter: Kenneth Goh; Singapore Management U. Gendered Language & Entrepreneurial Joiners Presenter: Simon Parker; Ivey Business School Presenter: Mihwa Seong; Ivey Business School Big Questions and Plenty Guesswork: Female Candidates for Professorships in Male-Dominated Fields Presenter: Regina Dutz; Technical U. of Munich Presenter: Claudia Peus; Technical U. of Munich Ready to Put on Your Steel-Toed Boots?: Women in Construction Engineering Presenter: Amy Randel; San Diego State U. Presenter: Benjamin Martell Galvin; Brigham Young U. Presenter: Thais C. L. Alves; San Diego State U. Gender Pay Gaps and Pay Systems: Institutional and Structural Discrimination and Doctors in England Presenter: Carol Woodhams; U. of Surrey

Norms Formation: The Gold Rush and Women's Roles

Does the mining-driven scarcity of women affect gender norms? Do gender norms persist over time? We explore the Gold Rush in Western United States in the late19th-century as a natural experiment to answer these questions. We use a geographic difference-in-difference methodology, exploiting the location and discovery of the gold deposits and its influence on sex ratios, to understand short term and persistent changes in women’s labor market participation and marriage market opportunities. Gold mining, through the oversupply of marriageable men with income, increased (decreased) marriage rates among women (men). Women married older men with higher prestige occupations. In parallel, the Gold Rush created a market based service sector economy, potentially catering to men with money but poor marriage prospects. Using all subsequent censuses up until 1940, we show that the effects persist over time.

Underemployment, overemployment and deterioration of mental health: the role of job rewards.

Working more (overemployment) or less (underemployment) than preferred has been associated with poor mental health in cross-sectional studies, but longitudinal evidence is scarce. We investigate whether under- and overemployment is associated with 2-year changes of mental health and whether associations vary by job rewards (i.e. high earnings, job security, promotion prospects and occupational prestige). We used two waves of the German Socio-Economic Panel (GSOEP), with information on mental health collected in 2006 and 2008. Workers in paid employment (3266 men and 3139 women) who did not change jobs between 2006 and 2008, aged 20-60years were selected. Under- and overemployment was assessed using the discrepancy between the actual and preferred working hours. Mental health was assessed using the Mental Component Summary (MCS) score, a subscale from the Short Form 12 Health Survey. Questions on rewards at work were added and divided into tertiles. Conditional change models were estimated to predict change in MCS. Findings indicate that overemployment and low reward at work (for men and women) were linked to a reduction in mental health. Underemployment was not related to a reduction in mental health. Albeit associations between under-/overemployment and mental health slightly differed across levels of reward, interactions did not reach statistical significance. Our findings demonstrate that overemployment was related to negative mental health change, and that this relationship held true both for people with high and with low reward at work.

Employment characteristics, work environment, and the course of depression over 23 years: Does employment help foster resilience?

Depression is the leading cause of disability and represents a significant challenge to stable employment and professional success. Importantly, employment may also operate as a protective factor against more chronic courses of depression as it can function as a form of behavioral activation and scaffold recovery by facilitating community integration. The current study examined work-related characteristics as protective or risk factors for subsequent long-term depression trajectories. Relations between employment characteristics and lifetime course of depression were examined among 424 adults in the community who entered treatment for depression. The sample was followed for 23 years with assessments at 1, 4, 10, and 23 years post baseline. At baseline, participants were asked about employment history and status along with work-related events and aspects of their work environments. Depression was measured at each assessment, and three different life course trajectories of depression were identified. Employment at baseline was associated with lower levels of depression at baseline and less severe life courses of depression. Among employed participants, higher occupational prestige, a more supportive work environment (greater involvement, cohesion, and perceived support), and lower work stress (less pressure and more control, role clarity, and autonomy) may protect against more severe, intractable depression over time and may have bolstered functioning. Findings have potential to be harnessed for clinical translation to better inform vocational rehabilitation counseling and human resources programs. Specifically, clinician assessment of work setting can guide patient decision making about how to reduce vulnerability to depression and foster resilience via employment.

How you behave in school predicts life success above and beyond family background, broad traits, and cognitive ability.

In this study, we investigated the role of student characteristics and behaviors in a longitudinal study over a 50-year timespan (using a large U.S. representative sample of high school students). We addressed the question of whether behaviors in school have any long-lasting effects for one's later life. Specifically, we investigated the role of being a responsible student, interest in school, writing skills, and reading skills in predicting educational attainment, occupational prestige, and income 11 years (N = 81,912) and 50 years (N = 1,952) after high school. We controlled for parental socioeconomic status, IQ, and broad personality traits in all analyses. We found that student characteristics and behaviors in adolescence predicted later educational and occupational success above and beyond parental socioeconomic status, IQ, and broad personality traits. Having higher interest in school was related to higher educational attainment at years 11 and 50, higher occupational prestige at year 11, and higher income at year 50. Higher levels of being a responsible student were related to higher educational attainment and higher occupational prestige at years 11 and 50. This was the first longitudinal study to test the role of student characteristics and behaviors over and above broad personality traits. It highlights the potential importance of what students do in school and how they react to their experiences during that time. It also highlights the possibility that things that happen in specific periods of one's life may play out in ways far more significant than we expect. (PsycINFO Database Record