Occupational Attainment Research Articles

Socioeconomic Status, Vocational Aspirations, School Tracks, and Occupational Attainment in South Korea.

Adults' career choice is not an abrupt event, but an outcome of continuous development throughout childhood and adolescence. In the developmental process of one's career, personal characteristics and contextual resources come into play. The goal of the present study is to examine how family socioeconomic status, adolescents' vocational aspirations, and high school contexts affect their occupational attainment in young adulthood, using two cohorts of data from the Korean Education and Employment Panel. Cohort 1 consisted of 1535 individuals (49.3% female), and cohort 2 consisted of 1473 individuals (53.5% female). Both cohorts were surveyed during their senior year of high school (Time 1; Mage = 17.8) and followed up until young adulthood (Time 2; Mage = 25.8). The results reveal that having high vocational aspirations and attending academic high school predict attaining higher-status occupations for both cohorts. Family background has positive direct and indirect effects on occupational attainment for cohort 2, while it only has an indirect effect on occupational attainment via types of high school for cohort 1. Implications in the context of constructing social systems to support adolescents' career development are discussed.

A randomized controlled trial of the combination of two school-based universal preventive interventions.

The Good Behavior Game (GBG, Barrish, Saunders, & Wolf, 1969) and the PATHS Curriculum (Promoting Alternative Thinking Strategies; Greenberg, Kusche, Cook, & Quamma, 1995) represent 2 universal, elementary school, preventive interventions which have been shown in large-scale, randomized controlled trials to have an immediate and beneficial impact (GBG, Dolan et al., 1993; PATHS, Conduct Problems Prevention Research Group [CPPRG], 1999) on aggressive/disruptive and off-task behavior. Importantly, both risk behaviors are strong predictors of antisocial behavior, drug abuse, and low educational and occupational attainment in adolescence and young adulthood (Kellam et al., 2008). What has yet to be explored within a randomized controlled trial is whether the combination of these interventions would yield significantly greater impact on aggressive/disruptive and off-task behavior than the GBG alone. One reason for expecting additive if not synergistic effects as a result of combining the two interventions is that the GBG, by increasing attention to task and reducing disruptive behavior in the classroom, may facilitate the acquisition of the emotion regulation, social problem-solving, and conflict resolution skills taught in PATHS. To that end, a group randomized, effectiveness trial was carried out, wherein 27 schools were randomly assigned to one of 3 conditions, (a) the PAX GBG Alone (Embry, Staatemeier, Richardson, Lauger, & Mitich, 2003), (b) PATHS to PAX (that is, the PAX GBG + PATHS), or (c) a standard setting (control) condition. Classroom observations and teacher ratings of student behavior were carried out at pretest and 6 months later at posttest. Limited evidence of the superiority of the combined approach was found and potential reasons why and future directions are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

How cognitive reserve influences older adults’ cognitive state, executive functions and language comprehension: A structural equation model

Cognitive reserve has been defined as the individuals’ ability to tolerate age-related and neurodegenerative changes in the brain without developing clinical symptoms or signs of disease. Formal education, occupational attainment, and knowledge of other languages have been assessed as the most relevant factors determining cognitive reserve. The main objective of this study was to develop a structural equation model that reflects the direct influence of cognitive reserve on old adults’ general cognitive status and executive functioning, and indirectly on sentence comprehension performance through executive functions mediation. One hundred and fifty eight Spanish-speaking older adults, cognitively intact, were assessed to obtain cognitive reserve data, general cognitive status, executive functioning (inhibitory control, working memory and cognitive flexibility), and sentence comprehension measures. High indicators of adjustment of the proposed model were obtained. The most related factors to cognitive reserve were education and occupational attainment. As we hypothesize, cognitive reserve had a higher direct significant relation to cognitive status and, in a lesser extent, to executive functioning. Participants’ general cognitive status and executive function were high and directly related. Furthermore, cognitive reserve has an indirect positive relation to sentence comprehension via executive functions’ mediation.

Traditional Gender Role Beliefs and Career Attainment in STEM: A Gendered Story?

Gender role beliefs (i.e., beliefs about gender-specific responsibilities) predict one’s educational and occupational aspirations and choices (Eccles et al., 1983; Schoon and Parsons, 2002). Focusing on STEM careers, we aim to examine the extent to which traditional work/family related gender role beliefs (TGRB) in adolescence predict within and across gender differences in subsequent educational and STEM occupational attainment in adulthood. Using longitudinal data from the Michigan Study of Adolescent and Adult Life Transitions (N = 744; 58% female), participants’ educational attainment and their occupations were assessed at age 42. Their occupations were then categorized into three categories: traditional STEM-related careers in the physical sciences, mathematics, engineering, and technology (PMET); life sciences (e.g., health sciences, LS); and non-STEM. For females, TGRB at age 16/18 significantly predicted lower educational attainment as well as a lower likelihood to be in PMET-related occupations in comparison to non-STEM occupations – controlling for their own educational attainment. TGRB also predicted a higher likelihood to be in LS-related in comparison to PMET-related occupations. No significant associations were found for males. However, patterns of findings for males were similar to those of females. TGRB also mediated across gender differences in educational and PMET-related occupational attainment. Findings reveal TGRB to be one underlying psychological factor influencing gender disparity in educational and STEM occupational attainment.

Family size and educational attainment in England and Wales

In this paper, we use linked census data from England and Wales to investigate whether having a large number of siblings leads to lower educational attainment. There is a large literature suggesting that with large sibship size, parental resources will be diluted and this, in turn, will lead to lower educational attainment. Using twin births and the sex composition of the sibling group as instrumental variables, we find that the evidence of a family size effect on educational attainment is rather uncertain. Similar results are obtained when we use occupational attainment as the dependent variable. We also demonstrate the confounding of birth order and family size effects, and show that an adjusted birth order index proposed by Booth and Kee provides an effective solution to this estimation problem.

Intelligence as a predictor of social mobility in Estonia.

The purpose of this study was to explore how individual and environmental predictors of intergenerational social mobility intersect in rarely studied post-communist developing society of Estonia. We used a contemporary cross-sectional dataset (n=759) to assess the influence of cognitive ability and parental socioeconomic status to the participants' educational and occupational attainment. Our results indicated that cognitive ability and one's own educational level mediated the association of parental socioeconomic status with one's own occupational success. Analysis of separate components of cognitive ability indicated that verbal ability had the highest influence on occupational status. We concluded that both individual-level and environmental factors have a predictive effect on educational and occupational attainment.

Educational upgrading, career advancement, and social inequality development from a life-course perspective in Germany

This article employs data from the adult cohort of the German National Educational Panel Study (NEPS) to investigate the extent to which upgrading of educational credentials over the life course influences the social stratification of labour market outcomes. We argue that credentials upgrading should be an important predictor of both inter- and intragenerational mobility, especially in Germany where occupational and educational attainment are tightly linked. Indeed, we show that career progression in Germany is dependent upon re-enrolment into formal education and that changes in occupational status are hierarchically distributed across types and levels of educational upgrades. While much more persons of disadvantaged social background are at risk of upgrading, persons of advantaged backgrounds are both slightly more likely to upgrade and to upgrade to qualifications leading to the highest expected premiums. Despite these differences, educational upgrading does not alter the overall level of social stratification in occupational status attainment.

The Transition of Youth with ADHD into the Workforce: Review and Future Directions.

Previous research suggests that a majority of children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) continue to experience increased impairment across multiple life domains into adulthood. A systematic review of the occupational impairments, and associated educational and financial difficulties, faced by individuals with childhood ADHD was conducted. Systematic searches from PsycINFO and PubMed databases and other sources (i.e., books and consultants with experts) yielded 35 relevant articles that described 19 longitudinal studies on adults with a history of ADHD or related symptoms. Multiple studies indicated that those with a history of ADHD had more educational impairment and were less likely to graduate from high school and college than their peers without a history of ADHD. Subsequently, they faced lower occupational attainment, had more job instability, and demonstrated more impaired job performance, and these outcomes were largely consistent regardless of sex, medication history, or symptom persistence. Similar results were found in clinical and representative national studies in both U.S. and abroad, although older studies tended to indicate less occupational impairment. In addition, ADHD was associated with a number of financial challenges, including lower annual income, more reliance on public aid, and increased risk for homelessness. Future research should use more varied informant sources and utilize innovative measures of occupational impairment at both a macro- and micro-level of analyses. In addition, studies of effective supports and interventions in occupational settings for individuals with ADHD are needed.

Household Food Security among Different Wealth Groups within Uyo Metropolis in Southern Nigeria

Studies done in various states in Nigeria have shown alarming rates of food insecurity among the population. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of household food insecurity among different wealth groups in Uyo metropolis, in southern Nigeria and to determine compensatory feeding patterns engaged in by studied food insecure households. This was a cross sectional descriptive study carried out among 249 households of different wealth groups based on the occupational status and educational attainment of the household heads. Data was collected using interviewer administered semi-structured questionnaire and analyzed using SPSS version 20 with a 0.05 level of significance. The prevalence of food insecurity among surveyed households was 89.9% with food insecure 26.5% (without hunger), 30.5% (moderate hunger) and 32.9% (severe hunger). Marital status, socioeconomic class, household size and household income all had statistically significant relationships with food security status (p7 suffered food insecurity with severe hunger. Regarding household income, 48.9% of households with income less than 50,000 naira per month, were food insecure with severe hunger (p<0.05). Coping strategies engaged in by food insecure households included borrowing money from friends, 33.7%, collecting food from friends 26.1% and sending children to work, 8.8%. There was high prevalence of food insecurity among studied households. It is recommended that better educational opportunities be made available to those of the low socioeconomic class, so as to ensure gainful employment. Minimum wage in Nigeria should be increased to ensure increased household income.

The changing faces and roles of communist party membership in China: an empirical analysis based on CHIPS 1988, 1995 and 2002

ABSTRACTThis paper analyses the evolution of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) using micro-data from three nationwide surveys. I examine how party membership affects people’s choice of employment, occupational attainment, and earnings, while including changes in the function of individual attributes and human capital. I endeavor to cover both urban and rural areas and gain a dynamic understanding of the topic.The proportion of people who joined the CCP as they grew older was relatively stable in the three surveys, while the overall education level of party members increased rapidly with time. Party membership and education had a statistically significant and positive effect on non-farm employment choice and earnings, but those effects decreased rapidly over time in rural China. In contrast, party membership and education exerted more and more of an effect on employment choice, occupational attainment, and earnings in urban China. Furthermore, in both rural and urban areas, the rate of return to education and the earnings premium for CCP membership are converging at the same level. This is evidence worthy of attention as it indicates that labor markets throughout the country are becoming integrated.

3 - NRXN1 DELETION CARRIERS’ PHENOTYPES IN THE UK BIOBANK

Background NRXN1 deletions are a confirmed risk factor for schizophrenia and ASD. The full phenotypic spectrum of consequences of these deletions has not been established. Methods We tested 140,187 white British or Irish participants in the UK Biobank (aged 40–70) for the presence of deletions that intersect at least one exon of the NRXN1 gene Results 48 people (30 women and 18 men) carried such deletions (0.03%). Carriers had subtle cognitive deficits: on seven tests they showed differences of between 0 and 1 SD (Z-scores, corrected for age and gender), with only two of these reaching significance: Digit Symbol and Reaction Time tests. Carriers did not differ on their educational qualifications (e.g., 15 carriers went to college or university), their occupational attainment, income or subjective happiness and satisfaction with their health and financial situation. We tested over 30 health outcomes, such as heart attacks, diabetes, cancer or number of hospital admissions. There was no increase in any adverse health outcomes. There was no increase in major psychiatric disorders, and no carrier had developed schizophrenia or mania. There were slight reductions of some measures of physical fitness: carriers had slight increases in hip and waist circumference, and lower peak expiratory volume. Discussion Despite the only subtle differences and the lack of adverse health outcomes, NRXN1 deletion carriers had on average 0.7 fewer children than the rest of the participants (on average women in the Biobank had 1.82 children and men had 1.78 children). Nine of the 18 men and 13 of the 30 women had no children. The differences in both men and women were significant, confirming previous suggestions that carriers have reduced fecundity (Rees et al., 2011; Stefansson et al., 2014). Reduced fecundity appears to be present even among overall healthy middle-aged people who have escaped early neurodevelopmental disorders.

Neurodegenerative Dementias: Improving Brain Health to Decrease Risk.

Neurodegenerative Dementias: Improving Brain Health to Decrease Risk.

The Citizenship Advantage: Immigrant Socioeconomic Attainment in the Age of Mass Migration

Scholars who study immigrant economic progress often point to the success of Southern and Eastern Europeans who entered the United States in the early 20th century and draw inferences about whether today’s immigrants will follow a similar trajectory. However, little is known about the mechanisms that allowed for European upward advancement. This article begins to fill this gap by analyzing how naturalization policies influenced the economic success of immigrants across generations. Specifically, the author creates new panel data sets that follow immigrants and their children across complete-count U.S. censuses to understand the economic consequences of citizenship attainment. The author finds that naturalization raised occupational attainment for the first generation that then allowed children to have greater educational attainment and labor market success. He argues that economic progress was conditioned by political statuses for European-origin groups during the first half of the 20th century.

Displaced and segregated: The socio-economic status of the second generation of internally displaced Palestinians in Israel

This study investigates the effects of displacement on the socio-economic status of second-generation Palestinian internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Israel. The results show that members of this group do not differ from non-displaced Palestinians in their educational or occupational attainment, but that displaced households experience higher rates of poverty and poorer housing conditions than non-displaced households. I find that the relationship between displacement and the prime indicators of social mobility—education and jobs—was weakened by three factors: extreme spatial segregation between Palestinians and Jews, the concentration of disadvantage among Palestinian IDPs within the host communities, which were Palestinian spaces, and a high level of dependence on resources concentrated in Jewish spaces among all Palestinians, not just IDPs. These three conditions, however, do not eliminate gaps in assets and land ownership between IDPs and non-displaced Palestinians, which, I argue, contribute to higher poverty rates among displaced households.

Muslim women in the Canadian labor market: Between ethnic exclusion and religious discrimination

This paper compares the labor market position of women from religious minority backgrounds with that of the majority group of Christian White Canadian women. In particular, it examines the relative disadvantage of Muslim women in relation to labor market participation, unemployment rate and the likelihood of obtaining managerial and professional occupations. The analysis was carried out using data obtained from the 2011 Canadian National Household Survey (NHS). The results suggested that, relative to White Christian women, most ethno-religious groups were significantly disadvantaged in the Canadian labor market, especially in relation to participation and unemployment. However, the pattern that was found in relation to occupational attainment was different and worth discussing. Not all Muslim women seemed to be disadvantaged in obtaining managerial and professional jobs. Black and Arab Muslim women, surprisingly enough, were as likely as the majority, Christian White women to be represented within the category of managers and professionals. This paper considers cultural explanations and the role of discrimination and a human capital deficit, as well as suggesting new directions by proposing the hypothesis of ‘discouraged women’, in explaining the low rate of participation, and a ‘surplus education’ hypothesis to explain occupational attainment. However, by and large, structural inequality, fostered by cultural racism and that based on color, remains the most plausible explanation.

Effect of Education and Socioeconomic Status on Anxiety, Depression and Stress Level of Cancer Patients

The prevalence of psychological distress among cancer patients is high, and they are at higher risk of developing severe anxiety, depression and potential mood disorders. The present research examined educational level and socioeconomic status differences in the degree of anxiety, depression and stress among cancer patients. The sample consisted of 540 patients within the age range of 25-45 years. The sample for the study was obtained from the various Hospitals of Ahmedabad city. The purposive sampling technique was used because the patients were selected on the basis of the inclusion-exclusion criteria such as 1) age range within 25-45 years; 2) willingness to participate in the present research; 3) suffering from lungs and breast cancer in the first stage; and 4) being treated in outdoor settings of public hospitals of Ahmedabad city. Results of present research work demonstrate that there is an influence of education level and socioeconomic status of cancer patients on anxiety, stress and depression level of cancer patients. The government should focus on characteristics of lower-income occupation and lower educational attainment group to develop more accurate and effective prevention and treatment strategies for cancer.

THE IMPACT OF BODY WEIGHT ON OCCUPATIONAL MOBILITY AND CAREER DEVELOPMENT

AbstractThis article examines the relationship between individuals' weight and employment decisions over the life cycle. I estimate a dynamic stochastic model of individuals' annual choices of occupation, hours worked, and schooling. Evidence suggests that heavier individuals face higher switching costs when transitioning into white‐collar occupations, earn lower returns to experience in white‐collar occupations, and earn lower wages in socially intensive jobs. I simulate a hypothetical antidiscrimination policy treating obese workers as a protected class. Although such a policy would reduce gaps in occupational attainment, it would have little effect on the observed divergence in wages between obese and nonobese workers.

The assimilation of Australian immigrants: does occupation matter?

ABSTRACTThis paper utilises the occupational attainment approach to investigate immigrant labour market assimilation, complementing other assimilation approaches such as employability, earnings, skills-match and job satisfaction. Our results show that all immigrant groups suffer from initial occupational attainment disadvantage. Worryingly, no ‘catch-up’ over time is evident – even when disaggregated to reflect different cultures and backgrounds. Nor is there much evidence that the occupational status of younger arrivals matches those of Australian born residents, despite being immersed in local mores and institutions while undertaking schooling in Australia. Newer cohorts of immigrants (those who arrived between 2000 and 2014) are also more prone to suffering an occupational penalty. We recommend policymakers subsidise bridging courses to aid recognition of overseas-obtained qualifications and encourage immigrants to obtain local qualifications that can complement their overseas-obtained work experience. This will increase their ‘Australian-ready’ skill-set and occupational attainment in their new host country.

Analysis on reproductive health service, demographics and characteristics of internal migrant population in three municipalities of China

Objective: To investigate the utilization of reproductive health services and relating factors among internal migrant population in Beijing, Shanghai and Chongqing. Methods: A multi-stage cluster sampling method was adopted in this cross-sectional study, conducted in Beijing, Shanghai and Chongqing from August 2014 to August 2015. Standard methods on statistics and nonlinear canonical correlation were applied. Results: Out of the 6 545 internal migrant persons, 41.76% ever used the reproductive health services in the past year. Results from the nonlinear canonical correlation analysis revealed that the utilization of reproductive health services was correlated with the demographic features (=0.28, P<0.000 1) and characteristics of the population mobility (=0.21, P<0.000 1), respectively. For the above said demographic features, canonical variable L(1) which represented the demographic features was mainly determined by area, occupation and education attainment. Canonical variable M(1) that reflected the utilization of reproductive health services, was mainly determined by factors as free contraceptives, education on contraception/reproductive health, and pregnancy diagnosis/antenatal care. As for the characteristics of the population mobility, canonical variable U(1), which represented population mobility characteristics, was mainly determined by factors as purpose of migration, current pattern of residence and the length of annual stay in the area. Again, the canonical variable V(1), reflecting the use of reproductive health services was mainly determined by factors as free contraceptives, check-up on reproductive tract infection, education on contraception/reproductive health, and pregnancy diagnosis/antenatal care. Conclusions: The utilization of reproductive health services was low among the internal migrant population under study. Responsible departments for health and family planning in those cities should make internal migrants attach importance to reproductive health.

The Consequences of Adolescent Delinquent Behavior for Adult Employment Outcomes.

Delinquent behavior is common during adolescence and may disrupt trajectories of labor market attainment. Estimates of the relationship between delinquency and employment are threatened by selection bias, as youth who engage in delinquency often differ substantially from youth who do not. The current study examined the association between adolescents' engagement in serious delinquency and four measures of occupational attainment in young adulthood: unemployment, personal earnings, employer-provided benefits, and occupational earnings. It examined the effect of delinquency independent of between-person differences in a variety of attributes and tested whether the hypothesized relationship was mediated by educational attainment, work experience, disconnectedness from both education and work, or criminal justice sanctioning. This study analyzed data from the first four waves of the National Longitudinal Survey of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health), yielding an analytic sample of 14,800 (51% female, mean age 16 years). The Wave 1 Add Health survey was administered in 1994-1995, and Wave 4 of the survey was administered in 2007-2008. The analytic strategy, propensity score weighting, produced estimates that were less biased by differences between youth who had and who had not engaged in delinquent behavior. The study found that delinquency was significantly associated with the likelihood of being unemployed: compared to non-delinquents, delinquents were more likely to be unemployed even after controlling for temporally prior traits and resources, human capital, and criminal justice contact. The results provided more qualified support for hypothesized relationships between delinquency and job quality. The study concluded that offending may result in less fruitful job searches, but once a search results in employment, employed delinquents are not readily discernible from employed non-delinquents in the quality of their jobs. These conclusions contribute to literature on the labor market outcomes of people with histories of adolescent delinquency as they enter young adulthood.