ascription and achievement from a historical contextual perspective the netherlands, 1887-1941...
TRANSCRIPT
Ascription and achievement from a historical contextual perspective
The Netherlands, 1887-1941
Social Stratification Research SeminarUtrecht, September 8-9 2010
Richard L. Zijdeman | Utrecht University | [email protected]
Research funded by NWO MAGW Grant 400-05-054
Introduction
• Research on contemporary intergenerational status attainment draws on detailed data and advanced methods but seldom takes context into account
• Research on status attainment in the past often uses marriage records, which has no information on educational attainment
Research questions
• How much did the status attainment process change in the Netherlands at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century?
• Can these changes be explained by differences in regional developments (“modernization”)?
Two approaches to status attainment
Zierikzeesche Nieuwsbode, May 31st 1881, p2/2.Source: http://beeldbank.zeeuwsebibliotheek.nl/krantenbank/
Father’s occupation
Son’s occupation
Son’seducation
Mass communication
- -
Educational expansion
-
In-migration
- -
Educational expansion
+ -
Urbanization
- -
+
Mass communication
- -
Approach (1)
• Start with a representative sample of those entering higher secondary education (VHMO) in 1880/81 and 1920
• Trace back their marriage records
• Combine these data with marriage records of the Historical Sample of the Netherlands
Approach (2)
• Compare status attainment models within cohorts (1880-’81 and 1920) in more and less advanced municipalities of marriage (e.g. more/less urbanized)
• Compare between cohorts within more and less advanced municipalities
Data
Coverage of the municipalities of birth
1880-’81 1920
Results
HSN
VHMO pupils
Status attainment 1880 / 1920
Father’s occupational status
Son’s occupational status
Son’s educationalattainment
Change at one point in time within context
Difference over time within contexts
Conclusions• Overall:– Direct influence of father on son’s occupational status
decreases– Educational attainment becomes more important for a
son’s occupational status
• Context specific:– Most of these changes only occur in the more advanced
regions (cities) over time– Little difference between less and more advanced regions
• Industrialism thesis or status maintenance theory?– Industrialism thesis, but little evidence for decreasing
effect of social background on educational attainment
To do
• Use continuous measures rather than more / less advanced context
• add indicators (e.g. railway stations, industrialization)
• or maybe go back to “modernization”?
Backup