Migration and the Processes of Occupational Mobility and Status Attainment

This paper examines the effect of migration on the occupational prestige and mobility of about 4000 U.S. men aged 35–64 in 1951. The analysis is based on data from the 1951 Six City Survey of Labor Mobility. The findings show that migrants are superior to non-migrants, with few exceptions, in mean socio-economic statuses. Migrant superiority was due to initial advantages for men 35–44 only. Men over 45 who migrated lost part of their initial advantage relative to non-migrants. The regression slopes describing the relationship among son's education, father's prestige level, and son's 1949 occupational prestige did not differ between migrants and non-migrants. A fairly consistent interaction with age appeared in the data—migrants 45 years and older suffered set-backs in their careers compared to younger migrants.