Ascription versus Achievement in Australia: Changes over Time 1965-1990

Abstract

This study investigates changes between 1965 and 1990 in the influences of ascription and educational achievement on occupational attainment in Australia. A simple model of status attainment is constructed incorporating measures of both ascription and achievement processes. The model is analysed separately for men and women. During the 1970s, the effects of father's occupational status declined and the effects of education increased quite dramatically. During the 1980s, the increase in the effects of education had slowed. During the late 1960s and early 1970s, the influence of education on occupational attainment was smaller for women compared to men. By the 1980s, men and women received similar returns from education. It is concluded that occupational attainment in Australia has become more based on achievement in the educational system than on ascriptive processes.