Trends in Occupational Status Attainment

Abstract

This study examines whether there is a perceptible trend over time in the association between the occupational status of a father and a son in nineteenth and twentieth century England, and how such a trend can be explained. Hypotheses on this trend are derived from conflicting theories that suggest a decreasing, stable or fluid trend over time, and tested by using multiple linear regression models on data derived from the Aberdeen University Students 1860-1920 dataset. This study shows that there is no perceptible trend over time in occupational status attainment due to factors that differ over place. An important finding in this study is that the association between the occupational status of a father and a son is higher in more urban areas.