Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-dlnhk Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-28T11:27:26.142Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Dimensions of occupations: genetic and environmental influences

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 July 2008

Paul Lichtenstein ,
Scott L. Hershberger  and
Nancy L. Pedersen
Paul Lichtenstein
Affiliation:
Division of Epidemiology, Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden Center for Developmental and Health Genetics, College of Health and Human Development, Pennsylvania State University, USA
Scott L. Hershberger
Affiliation:
Center for Developmental and Health Genetics, College of Health and Human Development, Pennsylvania State University, USA
Nancy L. Pedersen
Affiliation:
Division of Epidemiology, Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden Center for Developmental and Health Genetics, College of Health and Human Development, Pennsylvania State University, USA
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Summary

This study investigates the dimensions of occupation, and distances between occupational categories, by using intra-pair differences in adult occupational position for identical twins reared apart. Status and farm dimensions of occupation were identified. The results validate the use of occupational status as a dimension of occupational position. The causes of individual differences for the derived status dimension were also evaluated, based on groups of identical and fraternal twins reared apart or together. Genetic effects accounted for a substantial amount of the variance in occupational status for men, while shared and non-shared environmental effects were of about equal importance. For women, genetic effects were less important, and shared and non-shared environmental effects accounted for more of the variation. The results confirm that genetic effects are important sources of the familial resemblance often found for occupational status for men.

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Biosocial Science , Volume 27 , Issue 2 , April 1995 , pp. 193 - 206
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1995

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Behrman, J. R., Hrubec, Z., Taubman, P. & Wales, T. J. (1980) Socioeconomic Success: A Study of the Effects of Genetic Endowments, Family Environment, and Schooling. North-Holland, Amsterdam.Google Scholar
Cederlöf, R. & Lorich, U. (1978) The Swedish Twin Registry. In: Twin Research: Biology and Epidemiology, pp. 189–195. Edited by Nance, W. E., Allen, G. & Parisi, P.. Liss, New York.Google Scholar
Domanśki, H. & Sawinśki, Z. (1987) Dimensions of occupational mobility: the empirical invariance. Eur. sociol. Rev. 3, 39.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Erikson, R. (1987) The long arm of the origin: the effects of family background on occupational and educational achievement. In: Sociological Miscellany: Essays in Honour of Gunnar Boalt, pp. 58–76. Edited by U., Bergryd & C.-J., Janson. University of Stockholm.Google Scholar
Featherman, D. L., Jones, F. L. & Hauser, R. M. (1975) Assumptions of social mobility research in the U.S.: the case of occupational status. Social Sci. Res. 4, 239.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ganzenboom, H. B. G., Treiman, D. J. & Ultee, W. C. (1991) Comparative intergenerational stratification research: three generations and beyond. Ann. Rev. Sociol. 17, 277.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hamburg, M. (1987) Statistical Analysis for Decision Making, 4th edn.Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, New York.Google Scholar
Hauser, R. M. & Sewell, W. H. (1986) Family effects in simple models of education, occupational status, and earnings: findings from the Wisconsin and Kalamazoo studies. Journal of Labor Economics, 4, S83.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hauser, R. M., Tsai, S-L. & Sewell, W. H. (1983) A model of stratification with response error in social and psychological variables. Sociol. Educ. 56, 20.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Heath, A. C., Berg, K., Eaves, L. J., Solaas, M. H., Corey, L. A., Sundet, J., Magnus, P. & Nance, W. E. (1985) Education policy and the heritability of educational attainment. Nature, 314, 734.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Jencks, C., Bartlett, S., Corcoran, M., Crouse, J., Eaglesfield, D., Jackson, G., Mcclelland, K., Mueser, P., Olneck, M., Schwartz, J., Ward, S. & Williams, J. (1979) Who Gets Ahead?: The Determinants of Economic Success in America. Basic Books, New York.Google Scholar
Jencks, C., Crouse, J. & Mueser, P. (1983) The Wisconsin model of status attainment: a national replication with improved measures of ability and aspiration. Sociol. Educ. 56, 3.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jöreskog, K. & Sörbom, D. (1989) LISREL VII: Estimation of linear structural equation systems. Computer programs. National Educational Resources, Chicago.Google Scholar
Kruskal, J. B. (1964) Nonmetric multidimensional scaling: a numerical method. Psycho metrika, 29, 115.Google Scholar
Kruskal, J. B. & Wish, M. (1978) Multidimensional Scaling. Sage, Murray Hill, NJ.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lichtenstein, P., Harris, J. R., Pedersen, N. L. & Mcclearn, G. E. (1992a) Socioeconomic status and physical health, how are they related? An empirical study based on twins reared apart and twins reared together. Social Sci. Med. 36, 441.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lichtenstein, P., Pedersen, N. L. & Mcclearn, G. E. (1992b) The origins of individual differences in occupational status and educational level: a study of twins reared apart and together. Acta Sociologica, 35, 13.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McClearn, G. E., Svartengren, M., Pedersen, N. L., Huller, D. & Plomin, R. (1994) Genetic and environmental influences on pulmonary function in aging Swedish twins. J. Gerontol. 49, M267.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Meyer, J., Heath, A. C., Martin, N. G. & Eaves, L. J. (1992) Genetic and environmental influences on the onset of the smoking habit and the quantity smoked. Genet. Epidemiol. 9, 87.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Neale, M. C. & Cajwon, L. R. (1992) Methodology for Genetic Studies of Twins and Families. Kluwer, Dordrecht.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pedersen, N. L., Friberg, L., Floderus-Myrhed, B., Mcclearn, G. E. & Plomin, R. (1984) Swedish early separated twins: identification and characterization. Acta Genet. med. Gemell. 33, 243.Google ScholarPubMed
Pedersen, N. L., Mcclearn, G. E., Plomin, R. & Nesselroade, J. R. (1992a) Effects of early rearing environment on twin similarity in the last half of the life span. Br. J. devi Psychol. 10, 255.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pedersen, N. L., Plomin, R., Nesselroade, J. R. & Mcclearn, G. E. (1992b) A quantitative genetic analysis of cognitive abilities during the second half of the life span. Psychol. Sci. 3, 346.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pedersen, N. L., Mcclearn, G. F., Plomin, R., Nesselroade, J. R., Berg, S. & Defaire, U. (1991) The Swedish Adoption/Twin Study of Aging: an update. Acta Genet. med. Gemell. 40, 7.Google ScholarPubMed
Plomin, R., Defries, J. C. & Mcclearn, G. F. (1990) Behavioral Genetics: A Primer, 2nd edn. Freeman, New York.Google Scholar
Scarr-Salapatek, S. (1971) Unknowns in the IQ equation (Review of Environment, Heredity, and Intelligence; The IQ argument; I. Q.). Science, 174, 1223.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Statistics Sweden (1983) Meddelanden i samordningsfrågor: Socioekonomisk indelning (SEI) 1982:4. (Reports on Statistical Co-ordination: Swedish Socioeconomic Classification.) SCB, Stockholm.Google Scholar
Tambs, K., Sundet, J. M., Magnus, P. & Berg, K. (1989) Genetic and environmental contributions to the covariance between occupational status, educational attainment, and IQ: a study of twins. Behav. Genet. 19, 209.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Teasdale, T. W. & Owen, D. R. (1981) Social class correlations among separately adopted siblings and unrelated individuals adopted together. Behav. Genet. 11, 577.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Teasdale, T. W. & Owen, D. R. (1984a) Heredity and familial environment in intelligence and educational level—a sibling study. Nature, 309, 620.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Teasdale, T. W. & Owen, D. R. (1984b) Social class and mobility in male adoptees and non-adoptees. J biosoc. Sci. 16, 521.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Vandenberg, S. G. (1966) Contributions of twin research to psychology. Psychol. Bull. 66, 327.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
West, P. (1991) Rethinking the health selection explanation for health inequalities. Social Sci. Med. 32, 373.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed