Vertical Differentiation Among Occupations

Research on the socioeconomic achievement process has begun to generate anomalous findings, many of which involve occupational status as conventionally measured. Such anomalies include findings on the validity of conventional measures of occupational status, on the sex composition of occupations, and on the effects of occupation on earnings. This paper proposes a theory of vertical occupational differentiation based on the role activities of occupational incumbents. Two dimensions of vertical differentiation, authority and complexity, are derived from the division of labor. These concepts are shown to differ from occupational prestige by estimating confirmatory factor models that contain indicators of authority, complexity, and prestige. Results of the analysis are used to suggest resolutions for the anomalies cited.