Occupational Prestige in Comparative Perspective provides information pertinent to the study of the nature of inequality in human society. This book discusses that stratification is inevitable in complex societies as they are characterized by a highly developed division of labor into distinct occupational roles.
Organized into five parts encompassing 10 chapters, this book begins with an overview of the nature of occupational prestige systems that is rooted in power relations. This text then examines the extent of intrasocial variation in occupational prestige evaluations. Other chapters consider the contrast between the consensus that characterizes occupational prestige evaluations and the lack of consensus that characterizes the evaluation of other social categories. This book discusses as well the basic pattern of occupational evaluations and the worldwide uniformity in occupational evaluations. The final chapter deals with the development of the occupational scale and discusses it potential uses.
This book is a valuable resource for sociologists.

List of FiguresList of TablesPrefaceAcknowledgmentsI Introduction 1 The Division of Labor and Occupational Stratification Organization of the Volume A Theory of Occupational Prestige Alternative PossibilitiesII Setting the Stage: Data, Methods, and Basic Results 2 Problems of Method in Comparing Occupational Prestige Systems Do "Occupational Prestige" Studies Actually Measure Prestige? Data and Data Quality Variation in the Rating Task Combining Several Studies from One Country Comparing Occupational Titles Across Countries Summary 3 Intrasocietal Consensus in Occupational Prestige Evaluations Subgroup Variations in Prestige Ratings How Representative are Students in their Occupational Evaluations? Urban-Rural and Regional Variations Variation Over Time Summary 4 The Extent of Intersocietal Similarity in Occupational Prestige Hierarchies Extent of Prestige Similarity Regional and Cultural Variations Ratings of Nonmanual and Manual Occupations SummaryIII Issues of Substance 5 Explaining the Worldwide Similarity in Prestige Hierarchies Determinants of Prestige in Contemporary Societies Occupational Structures in Past Societies Structures in Past Societies 6 Prestige and Industrialization Prestige Similarity and Social Structure Pairwise Comparisons Summary 7 Cross-Cultural Variations in Prestige Evaluations of Particular Occupations: Exceptions that Prove the Rule Cultural Variations in Prestige Evaluations The Glorification of Manual Work in Socialist Society Variations in the Structural Bases of Prestige Cross-Cultural Variations in the Prestige of 50 Common Occupations ConclusionsIV A Standard International Occupational Prestige Scale 8 Developing the Scale The Need for a Standard International Occupational Prestige Scale Constructing the Scale Properties of the Scale Validating the Scale Summary Appendix 8.1 Conversion of Prestige Data to a Standard Metric Appendix 8.2 Reliability and Errors of Estimate 9 Using the Scale Uses of the Scale Practical Procedures for Using the Scale A Nominal Classification of Occupations Comparing the Standard Scale with Duncan's Socioeconomic Index Summary Appendix 9.1 Coding Rules for Assigning Standard Scale ScoresV Conclusion 10 Occupational Prestige and Social Structure Summary of the Argument Limitations of the Analysis and Future Research Needs On the Inevitability of Stratification and the Dignity of WorkAppendix A Standard International Occupational Prestige ScaleAppendix B Alphabetical Index to Standard ScaleAppendix C Standard Scale Scores for Other Occupational Classifications 1 Standard Scale Scores for the International Standard Classification of Occupations (First Edition, 1958) 2 Standard Scale Scores for the 1950 U.S Census Detailed Occupational Classification 3 Standard Scale Scores for the 1960 U.S Census Detailed Occupational Classification 4 Standard Scale Scores for the 1970 U.S Census Detailed Occupational ClassificationAppendix D Occupational Prestige Scores for Each CountryReferencesIndex