Structural and Exchange Components of Occupational Mobility: A Cross-National Analysis

Using data from 16 nations, this paper examines the effects of the occupational structure, the intergenerational change in the structure and exchange mobility on the observed mobility rates of males. The intergenerational change in the occupational structure has a strong effect on mobility due primarily to the decline of the proportion of men in agricultural occupations. The proportion of men in farming, the most important aspect of the shape of the structure, has a negative influence on mobility. This effect, however, is of minor importance among the more developed countries. Contrary to recent predictions, cross-national variance in exchange mobility has a strong effect which is at least as great as the structural effects among the more developed nations. Consequently, theory and research will have to pay careful attention to both structural and exchange components of mobility.