Date of Award
1977
Degree Name
Sociology
College
College of Liberal Arts
Type of Degree
M.A.
Document Type
Thesis
First Advisor
William S. Westbrook
Abstract
There has been a long and continuous sociological interest in the area of the social status of occupations. Numerous attempts have been made to discern a social stratification structure in which differences in. the social status of occupations define the social strata. Indeed, nearly seventy years of empirical research has been responsible for volumes of published literature.
A relatively large number of criteria are used in attempts to define the social status of occupations, among which are the differences in the perceived prestige assigned to the occupations. Prestige is seen as a type of social status which encompasses social recognition, respect, and admiration. In some cases prestige is granted for the achievement or possession of particular values.
Although theoretical reasons exist for speaking of differentiation in the prestige component of occupation, a principle fact in accounting for the use of the term in empirical research is due to the nature of the procedure for obtaining data to rank-order occupations. In cases where subjects are asked to evaluate or judge the rank position, of occupations, most researchers refer to the "prestige status" of the occupation in a larger social system so that the occupations may be ranked in order of their differences in prestige status.
Subject(s)
Occupational prestige -- West Virginia -- Huntington.
Occupational prestige -- Kentucky -- Ashland.
Recommended Citation
Thorniley, Barbara A., "Occupational prestige in an urbanized Appalachian Region : a comparison of Huntington-Ashland urbanized area with the United States" (1977). Theses, Dissertations and Capstones. 1903.
https://mds.marshall.edu/etd/1903
