1. Stratification Processes and Outcomes in England and the U.S.
- Author
-
Kerckhoff, Alan C.
- Abstract
Using data sets from several American and British studies, this study compares the process of status attainment in the U.S. and Great Britain. The overall social mobility from generation to generation is very similar in both countries, as are the relative effects of social origin and individual ability on educational attainment and social status. Although the American educational system is more open and competitive than the British system, the qualities that lead to high levels of attainment are very much the same in both countries. These findings are interpreted in relation to Lipset's analysis of the two countries' value systems and Turner's contrast between "sponsored" and "contest" mobility patterns. It is suggested that the two countries use quite different mechanisms to bring about largely the same result. (Author/JG)
- Published
- 1974