Status Attainment Revisited

Using data from the National Survey of Families and Households, this article examines factors affecting one's education, occupational prestige, and family income. The size of the data set (N = 9,643) permits us to analyze various factors pertaining to the status attainment according to the particular age group of the respondent. Because the analyses include female respondents, care was taken to incorporate the status attainment of the family along with that of the individual. The results largely support the past research in the area. Some notable findings include that (a) the effects of human capitals on education seem to be on the decline, if not uniformly, particularly regarding race and place of residence; (b) occupational prestiges are strongly affected by factors other than the respondent's own education; and (c) income is relatively unpredictable even when the respondent's marital status, education, and occupational prestiges are included as predictors.