Occupational Achievement Research Articles

The Impact of Singlehood on the Career Patterns of Professional Women

This study investigates the impact of singlehood on the career patterns of professional women. 2 types of singlehood--never-married and divorced/separated--are compared. Length of singlehood and timing of marriage in relation to graduate school are also considered. The study sample consists of 663 professional women who received high-level degrees from a large midwestern university between 1964 and 1974. Some findings of this research follow. 1) Type of singlehood does not seem to make a difference in educational experience and occupational attainment after age of entry into graduate school and enrollment cohort are controlled. 2) Women who are single for greater periods of time tend to be more advanced in terms of educational progress in graduate school than women who are single for shorter periods of time. Women who remain single the duration of graduate school tend to experience greater occupational attainments than those women who marry prior to the completion of graduate school. 3) Relative to never-married women those who marry after completing graduate school are less impeded in terms of educational progression but are less accomplished in terms of occupational achievement. Even those women who marry early and remain married after graduate school exhibit greater occupational achievements than these women. The authors anticipated that women who eventually divorced after longer marriages in graduate school would exhibit less career advancement than women who divorced after short-term marriages during graduate school because of longer-term family responsibilities. Although results indicate that no significant differences exist almost all of the differences are in the predicated direction.

Female Intergenerational Occupational Mobility within Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland: The Importance of Maternal Occupational Status

Previous research on social mobility in both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland has confined itself exclusively to the linkages between male occupational origins and destinations. In this paper, three unique aspects of the Irish occupational mobility experience is investigated. First, the question of women's intergenerational occupational mobility is considered for the first time. Second, as in some recent North American research, traditional models of male intergenerational occupational mobility are modified to allow only the occupational achievement of mothers in the portrayal of a woman's occupational origins. Third, the occupational category of housewife is included as one possible occupational outcome for Irish women. The general conclusion of this paper is that not only does a mother's occupational attainments more realistically display the influence of occupational origins on women's subsequent occupational activities, but one vital component of this influence must be the occupational category of housewife. Only via the introduction of both these elements may the notably ascriptive nature of both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland in relation to female occupational mobility become understandable.

The Influence of Sex-Role Identity and Occupational Attainment on the Psychological Well-Being of Asian American Women

This study examined the extent to which sex-role identity as defined by Bem's typology is related to occupational attainment, self-esteem, and work satisfaction for 161 employed Asian American women. Three major hypotheses were tested: (a) Masculine and androgynous Asian American women have a higher level of occupational attainment than those with feminine and undifferentiated sex-role identity; (b) androgynous Asian American women have a higher level of self-esteem and a greater degree of work satisfaction than those with other types of sex-role identity; and (c) the higher the level of occupational attainment secured by Asian American women, the greater their work satisfaction and the higher their self-esteem. As predicted, sex-role identity was significantly related to occupational attainment. Androgynous Asian American women and those with a high level of occupational attainment had a higher level of self-esteem and a greater degree of work satisfaction than those with other types of sex-role identity. The implications of these findings for Bem's formulation of androgyny, its relation to occupational achievement, and its consequences for psychological health and work outcomes are discussed.

Coming of Age among Blind People in Israel

ABSTRACT Based on ethnographic observations amongst adults blinded in childhood, this paper extends the study of stigma and handicap into the domestic setting. The respondents described their sighted parents' patronising practices towards them. Parents were reported to have attempted to channel their blind offspring into less-than-optional occupations and marriages. Social conditions were frequently such that blind youths were in a situation of status inconsistency—their educational achievements were superior to their occupational achievements. Current social conditions have also improved marital chances for blind women of Middle-Eastern background. All this leads to a chasm between the traditional outlook of sighted parents and the reality in which their blind offspring live. The latter relate ambivalently towards their parents, and sometimes distance themselves from them and their communities of origin.

Epilepsy and handicap from birth to age 36.

Fifty-five subjects with epilepsy were identified in the first 36 years of the 1946 birth cohort study. In 37 cases there was neither evident cause for the epilepsy nor associated brain-damage and these are referred to as 'uncomplicated', the rest as 'complicated'. Subjects with epilepsy came from poorer social backgrounds than the rest of the cohort. Mortality for both the complicated and uncomplicated groups was high. The educational and occupational achievements, marriage and parenthood, self-esteem and psychiatric morbidity of those surviving to adult life were compared with individually matched controls drawn from the same population. For the uncomplicated group there was no evidence of handicap at age 26, but 10 years later handicap was evident in this group in the economic sphere and in self-esteem.

Sex Segregation in Librarianship: Demographic and Career Patterns of Academic Library Administrators

This incisive work is a detailed examination of intraoccupational sex segregation in librarianship. Irvine examines the demographic and career characteristics of male and female library administrators. She explores why women have struggled so long for the status and recognition so easily achieved by their male counterparts. Included are data on the educational and occupational achievements of parents and spouses, the educational background of male and female librarians, and their professional affiliations and activities. Their career history is considered with regard to mobility patterns, middle management and executive positions, and mentorship and role models. The author also examines related research on women and men in higher education and corporate management. Irvine concludes that historically the role models for managerial positions have not favored women but that a significant change has occurred during the last decade.

Assimilation in the United States: An Analysis of Ethnic and Generation Differences in Status and Achievement

This paper uses a new data source to investigate differences in occupational achievement among a large number of ethnic groups. The November, 1979 Current Population Survey is a unique source since it provides information on both the ancestry and nativity of a large national sample of respondents. These data are particularly valuable because they permit the identification of first-, secondand thirdor higher-generation individuals, thereby providing a clearer picture of the process of assimilation. We focus upon the achievements of men, age 20 to 64 classified simultaneously by nativity and ethnicity. Not surprisingly, there are notable differences in the occupational attainment of foreign-born men. Some of these differences are due to the diverse social and economic backgrounds of the different nationalities, but important differences in the rates of return to background characteristics are also evident. The assimilation perspective predicts that eventually ethnic background will no longer be an important determinant of socioeconomic achievement. By the third generation, we find this to be true for the most part, although important exceptions are discussed in this paper.

Job Involvement Through the Life Course: A Panel Study of Three Age Groups

Utilizing panel data for three age groups from the 1972-73 and 1977 Quality of Employment Surveys, this study investigates the interrelations of work experiences and subjective job involvement in three age groups that are indicative of different career stages. Whereas job involvement is quite volatile in the initial stage of the work career, it becomes more stable, supporting the aging stability hypothesis, as workers grow older. Work experiences and rewards also change less as workers age, suggesting that the growing stability with age in job involvement occurs in the context of an increasingly stable work environment. Work autonomy exerts a significant influence on job involvement in all age groups. However, the fact that this intrinsic dimension of work has the strongest influence on involvement in the youngest cohort supports the contention that there is a highly formative stage in young adulthood, after which time the person becomes more resistant to environmental pressures to change. The findings also suggest that the effects ofjob involvement on occupational achievement may be specific to the middle stage of the career. The results of this study indicate the potential of applying a life-span developmental perspective to the study of the sources and consequences of job involvement.

Ghiselli's Self Description Inventory: Australian Versus U.S. Managers

Ghieelli's Self Description Inventory was administered to 477 male executives in the Australian private and public sectors. Resulting scores were compared with U.S. managerial norms. Compared with their U.S. counterparts Australian managers see themselves as having less supervisory ability, less initiative, less self-assurance, less decisiveness, lower degree of masculinity, less maturity, weaker need for occupational achievement, weaker need for self-actualisation, stronger need for high financial reward and a stronger need for job security. Implications of these findings are discussed.

Turkish Youth—Occupational Opportunities in the Federal Republic of Germany

In this paper, I examine the factors influencing the economic adaptation and occupational achievement of Turkish adolescents in the Federal Republic of Germany using the data obtained from an original survey of 430 Turkish adolescents and 380 parents (mostly fathers) carried out in twenty-two cities. The conclusion reached in this paper is that integration of these minority groups will not be achieved easily or quickly.

Stigma in patients with early epilepsy: a national longitudinal study.

Forty six cases of epilepsy were identified from the National Survey of Health and Development. An index of social visibility at school was constructed from teachers' reports of survey members' behaviour at 15 years of age. For the sample as a whole this index was significantly associated with poorer educational outcomes, after adjusting for social background and measured attainment, but was not associated with poor occupational achievement. However the index did not differentiate between epileptic and non-epileptic children. Although cases with epilepsy were shown to be more at risk of psychiatric disturbance, it is concluded that their lives were less disrupted than might have been expected, and that there is no evidence from this study that stigma affects the lives of those whose epilepsy was not complicated by other pathologies.

Age and outstanding occupational achievement: Lehman revisited

The findings of H. C. Lehman's (1953, Age and achievement, Princeton, NJ: Princeton Univ. Press) study of age and outstanding occupational achievement were reviewed along with the explanations which have been put forth to account for the finding that major contributions are most likely to occur in young adulthood. Subsequently, an alternative explanation was proposed based on the central developmental tasks facing individuals in young adulthood and middle age. More specifically, it is argued, in accordance with N. Haan (1981, in R. M. Lerner & N. A. Busch-Rossnagel (Eds.), Individuals as producers of their own development: A life span perspective, New York, Academic Press), that young adults employ an accommodating adaptive style, and that the cognitive and behavioral concomitants of this style may increase the likelihood of major contributions. It is also noted that the realistic, controlling adaptive style of the middle aged would tend to facilitate minor contributions. Finally, the broader literature was reviewed in relation to these hypotheses, and certain practical implications of this reinterpretation were laid out.

The changing relationship between university education and intergenerational social mobility

This paper examines the intergenerational occupational mobility patterns for five cohorts of male and female university graduates who received degrees between i960 and 1976. After 1964 there is a marked decline in the prospects of both males and females for upward intergenerational mobility. Males still experience more mobility than females in all time periods, although the sex difference appears to be diminishing over time. This pattern reflects worsened mobility prospects for males rather than any improvement for females. Regional comparisons in the 1976 national data identify differences in the distribution of father's occupational prestige across Canada and, therefore, different structural conditions by region for intergenerational occupational mobility.This paper examines three issues in intergenerational social mobility as measured by occupational achievement. Using new and earlier published data on five cohorts of graduates, we examine the extent to which university education has declined over time as a route to upward intergenerational mobility. Changes in the labour market for graduates are identified as the major reasons for such declines. Second, we examine the extent to which sex differences in intergenerational mobility have diminished over time and the extent to which this is a consequence of worsening mobility prospects for males rather than improving prospects for females. Third, we examine some differences in intergenerational mobility patterns for the five economic regions of Canada.

Women's Occupational and Family Achievement in the U. S. Class System: A Critique of the Dual-Career Family Analysis

The concept of the 'dual-career family' enjoys remarkable popularity in sociological discussions of the impact of continued growth in adult women's employment in the 1970s and 1980s. Robert and Rhona Rapoport coined the phrase in 1969, to signify their discovery among young, elite British couples of a new pattern of wife and husband aspiration to careers and domestic egalitarianism.l The Rapoports soon generalized their findings internationally: they projected the dual-career couples as the key social innovators of emerging 'post-industrial' societies.2 Their lead in dual-career family research has been pursued most enthusiastically by sociologists and social psychologists in the U.S A.3 Increasingly, the dual-career yardstick of achievement and innovation appears in discussions of sex roles, occupational advancement and the family not only in sociological literature, but also in popular media. This model of family success is emerging as an accepted cultural standard. It is used to evaluate the experience of all employed women (and often, housewives as well), male-female couples of all class positions, and all family-worklife arrangements. It is important to examine the adequacy of the theoretical framework established by Robert and Rhona Rapoport which has influenced subsequent research. Much of their conception of social change, family mobility, and class and gender relationships has shaped, and been elaborated by, the many U.S. dual-career case studies. Their conception can be summarized: first, the types of careers

The intellectual and psychosocial nature of extreme giftedness

The highly gifted create structure, generate ideas, and efficiently process information in ways that are qualitatively superior to moderately gifted and average ability individuals. Typically, adult academic and occupational achievements are also superior. Their advanced need to know tends to narrow their self‐concept such that consistent, accurate, and valid feedback is more difficult to obtain. The net effect of this is a tendency toward low self‐esteem.

Occupational and Educational Achievement Motivation in Australian and Hong Kong Schoolchildren

Occupational and Educational Achievement Motivation in Australian and Hong Kong Schoolchildren

The Comparative Measurement of Motivation towards Educational and Occupational Achievement among Hong Kong Chinese

The Comparative Measurement of Motivation towards Educational and Occupational Achievement among Hong Kong Chinese

Scaling the prestige, authority, and income potential of college curricula

This paper develops the concept of “targeted education,” a theoretical ranking of college curricula, into a multidimensional framework. The new scales, based on the traditional stratification dimensions, prestige, authority, and income, are then used in a study of sex differences in the process of occupational achievement among men and women with college degrees. The targeted education scales predict occupational prestige and wages 7 years after the college degree, and they point out interesting differences between male and female attainment processes. In general, targeted education has a greater quantitative impact for men's occupational outcomes than for women's prestige and income, but results also suggest significant qualitative differences between men and women. A large proportion of women target their education toward, and end up in, an under-employed labor pool for the primary and secondary school system.

An erotic attraction to amputees

This article reviews what is believed to be the only study ever conducted on a substantial number of persons (therein referred to as “amelotatists”) who have a particular erotic attraction to amputees. That study, conducted in 1976 by researchers identified only as Ampix (an enterprise in the business of selling amputee fantasy materials) was conducted by questionnaires to subscribers with a useable return rate of 62 percent. The sample, all male except for one apparent female, had a mean age of 40, and was typically composed of married Caucasians of above average educational and occupational achievement. Although large proportions of the sample had dated or had had sex with an amputee, only 5 percent had ever married one.

The educational and occupational achievement of children placed in Villages d'Enfants de France

Applied PsychologyVolume 31, Issue 4 p. 474-474 The educational and occupational achievement of children placed in Villages d'Enfants de France First published: October 1982 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1464-0597.1982.tb00125.xAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditWechat No abstract is available for this article. Volume31, Issue4October 1982Pages 474-474 RelatedInformation