The Process of Stratification

Book excerpt: The Process of Stratification: Trends and Analyses discusses the conceptual scheme developed by Blau and Duncan. The book elaborates Blau and Duncan's description and analysis of socioencomic inequality, stratification, and inequality of opportunity in American society during the early 1960s. The authors review the assumptions and methods; they point to a different direction from the widely held assumption that occupational socioeconomic status is the primary determinant to mobility. They also use the Alphabetical Index as the basis for better collection method on data relating to occupation, industry and class of worker. As regards occupational mobility, the authors note that such mobility is limited by the depletion of occupational groups that higher-status occupations have sourced from. They also point that American society is homogenous in the sense of the determinants of socioeconomic achievements can exert influence. The authors then discuss an exercise in theory construction of intergenerational transmission of income. They conclude that income mobility is similar to occupational or educational mobility; to be more precise, they note that empirical evidence should be gathered. This book can prove useful for economists, sociologists, policy makers, as well as academicians involved in societal studies.