The Influence of Social Stratification and Age on Occupational Aspirations of Adolescents

This study examines children’s awareness of socially prominent occupations and educational motivation to enter these occupations successfully. Four separate groups of students were analyzed to determine variations in the occupational/educational aspirations: (1) low socioeconomic third graders; (2) high socioeconomic third graders; (3) low socioeconomic eighth graders; and (4) high socioeconomic eighth graders. It was concluded that children form occupational predispositions at a very early age. The study indicates that children from a higher socioeconomic stratum had higher educational goals and the desire to obtain prestige occupations, while lower socioeconomic students had resigned themselves to less education and lower job status.