Yrkesstatus. En sociologisk studie av hur yrken uppfattas och värderas.

Abstract

Abstract Occupations make up the social structure and depict among other things qualifications, influence, power and rewards. Perceptions and valuations of occupations are a major part of the social construction of reality and demonstrate expected and accepted actions in certain positions Class and status, long of interest to the sociology of occupations, are treated here in a case study of Sweden, based on a national survey distributed in 2002 among the Swedish population age 16-74 (sample 3000), including 100 occupations. The constructed rank order of occupations demonstrates a well-known range of ascribed status from dishwasher to physician – legitimizing the distribution of resources and privileges, with only minor differences of means between groups of respondents. However, interesting class, gender and age differences remain – sometimes hidden by means and correlations. Income is the main explanation behind status with a subjective as well as an objective indicator. Other significant subjective explanations are career, skill, autonomy, responsibility, honesty and morals, and influence. An alternative rank order is constructed on the status which the occupations ought to have according to individual perceptions separated from collective perceptions. Occupations in education, health and care were especially upgraded, and in particular by women. There is great potential for social equality, impeded by strong reproduction of common perceptions of occupations and their status ranking. The report also compares data from year 2002 with data from a Swedish survey in 1958, an American in 1989. Key words: perceptions, occupations, status, class, gender, age