How useful are microclasses ?

How useful are microclasses?An analysis of detailed parental occupational differences and their effects on filial school attainment in Britain

Professor Vernon Gayle & Dr Paul LambertUniversity of Stirling

Modelling Patterns of Social StratificationESRC NCRM Lancaster-Warwick-Stirling Node Sociology Strand Research Meeting

August 31st 2011 – 2nd September 2011, University of Stirling 1

Microclass Analysis• Motivation: There might be extra insights somewhere

between ‘big class categories’ and ‘individual occupations’?

• Exciting debate emerging • Punch up between heavyweights…

For microclasses Grusky, Weeden and Jonsson Against Goldthorpe and Erikson

Jonsson et al (2009) AJS; Grusky and Weeden (2005, 2006) Erikson, Goldthorpe and Hällsten (2011)

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Microclass Analysis• There might be extra insights somewhere between ‘big

class categories’ and ‘individual occupations’?

For example, between the eight categories of an agglomerate scheme and the 371 administrative (and sociologically unorganised) occupational unit groups, could there be 80-120 microclasses defined by their professional cultures and practices?

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Microclass Analysis

‘Microclass regime —The microclass approach shares with the big-class model the presumption that contemporary labor markets are balkanized into discrete categories, but such balkanization is assumed to take principally the form of institutionalized occupations (e.g., doctor, plumber, postal clerk) rather than institutionalized big classes (e.g., routine nonmanuals, proprietors)’

(Jonsson et al 2009 pp.982-983)

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Microclass ReproductionMechanisms of Intergenerational Reproduction(Jonsson et al 2009 Table 1 p.986)

• Human capitalOccupation-specific skills (e.g. carpentry)

• Cultural capitalOccupation-specific cultures and tastes (e.g. aspirations, medicine, help with UCAS application)

• Social networksOccupation-specific networks (e.g. doing ‘the knowledge’, job interviews, internships)

• Economic resourcesFixed resources (e.g. farms, market stalls, business in general)

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Initial Appeal

• The initial appeal is the prospect of clearer resolution regarding

1. Occupation-Specific Human Capital2. Occupation-Specific Cultural Capital3. Other Occupation-Specific Mechanisms

• First attempt (that we are aware of) to construct a British microclass scheme

• Example (from Gayle and Lambert 2011) http://www.staff.stir.ac.uk/vernon.gayle/documents/gayle_lambert_rc28_v1.pdf

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General Certificate of Education

• The Education Reform Act 1988 led to rapid changes in the secondary school curriculum, and to the organisation, management and financing of schools

• A major change for pupils was the introduction of the General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE)

•GCSEs differed from the qualifications that they replaced

• A new grading scheme was established and all pupils were entered for a common set of examinations

• There were also changes in the content and format of examinations and assessment by coursework was introduced

•School league tables are published (and targets are set)

•A newsworthy item each summer•Previously only teachers, parents and pupils knew when exam results day was

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General Certificate of Education•General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) introduced in the late 1980s

•The standard qualification for pupils in England and Wales in year 11 (aged 15/16)

•Usually a mixture of assessed coursework and examinations

•Generally each subject is assessed separately and a subject specific GCSE awarded

•It is usual for pupils to study for about nine subjects, which will include core subjects (e.g. English, Maths and Science) and non-core subjects

•GCSEs are graded in discrete ordered categories

•The highest being A*, followed by grades A through to G (A* from 1994)

•Arran Fernandez gained A* in Maths at age 8 !

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Why Explore GCSE Attainment?• GCSEs are public examinations and mark the first major branching point in a young person’s

educational career

• Poor GCSE attainment is a considerable obstacle which precludes young people from pursuing more advanced educational courses

• Young people with low levels of GCSE attainment are usually more likely to leave education at the minimum school leaving age and their qualification level frequently disadvantages them in the labour market

• Low levels of qualifications are also likely to have a longer term impact on experiences in the adult labour market

• Therefore, we argue that gaps in GCSE attainment are sociologically important

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Youth Cohort Study of England and Wales• Major Longitudinal Study began Mid-1980s

• Designed to monitor behaviour of young people as they reach the minimum school leaving age and either stay on in education of enter the labour market

• Experiences of Education (qualifications); Employment; Training; Aspirations; Family; Personal characteristic & circumstances

• Nationally representative; Large sample size; Panel data (albeit short); Possible to compare cohorts (trends over time)

• Study contacts a sample from an academic year group (cohort) in the spring following completion of compulsory education

• The sample is designed to be representative of all Year 11 pupils in England & Wales

• Sample are tracked for 3 (sometimes 4) waves (called Sweeps) of data collection

• We concentrate on the cohorts attaining GCSEs (1990 - 1999)

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Parental Occupations and Filial AttainmentExtended analyses of the Youth Cohort Study of England and Wales

• Overall trend• Increasing proportions getting the benchmark 5+GCSEs (A*-C)• Increasing mean number of A*-C grade GCSEs• Increasing mean GCSE points score

• Gender• Female pupils outperforming male pupils

• Ethnicity• Some groups doing better than white pupils (e.g. Indians)• Other groups doing worse (e.g. blacks)

• Parental Occupation• Observable gradient• Lower levels of GCSE attainment from those pupils with less occupationally

advantaged parents11

0 .05 .1 .15 .2Adjusted R Squared

+NES+MCAMSIS

+ISEI+Skill

+Man/Non+NS-SEC3

+EGP11+RGSC+ESEC

+NS-SEC9Cohort+Sex+Ethnicity

Cohort+SexCohort

Source: SN5765, n=54614 (unweighted data) ('conventional' occ. measures); 1990s YCS Cohorts.

Regression Models: GCSE Point ScoreGCSE Attainment Year 11

Sensitivity analysis of 10 popular occupational measures

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Exploring parental influences at occupational unit group (OUG) level

National Statistics Socio-economic Classification (NS-SEC)

NS-SEC No. of SOC90 Occupations*

1.1 Large Employers and higher managers 101.2 Higher professional occupations 382 Lower managerial and professional occupations 783 Intermediate occupations 425 Lower supervisory and technical occupations 416 Semi-routine occupations 887 Routine occupations 74

Total 371

* Employees

Possible interesting variations within NS-SEC categories?

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Solicitor

Uni teach

Works manager

Nursery nurse

PlumberKit porter

Driver

2030

4050

1.1 1.2 2 3 4 5 6 7 Family Social Class

Mean for NS-SEC Class

Source:1990s YCS Cohorts; Comprehensive school pupils.121 larger SOCs; Pupils per SOC Mean 380; Min 101; Max 1836 (Nurses).

Mean GCSE Score, Parents' SOC90 (large SOC groups)Illustrations of occupations

GCSE Attainment Year 11

15

Other Eng

MedicsUni teach

Publicans

Teachers (secondary)

Aux Nurses

Other teachers

Gardeners

Elec fitters

Food pro

Educ ass

Bar staff

Other misc

Metal mates

2030

4050

Mea

n G

CS

E S

core




Mean GCSE Score, Parents' SOC90 (large SOC groups)Illustrations of extreme occupations


SOC90 Male graduates Female graduatesNS-SEC1.2 Higher professional occupation

Medics 92% 86%Solicitors 94% 97%Other engineers 37% 47%

2. Lower managerial and professional occupations

Teachers (secondary) 85% 71%

Works managers 22% 20%Publicans 4% 1%

3. Intermediate occupations

Teachers (dance etc) 42% 42%

Nursery nurses a 11% 4%Auxiliary nurses 3% 1%

McKnight and Elias (1998) 371 Database: Source UK Labour Force Survey 1994

a. We suspect that the parental age profile might be consequential (e.g. younger mothers who are nurses are increasingly more likely to graduates).

SOC90 Higher level technical (e.g. BTEC)

No Qualifications (less than GCSE)

Males Females Males FemalesNS-SEC5. Lower supervisory and technical occupations

Electrical fitters 5% 18% 15% 82%

Plumber 13% 27% 55% 49%Gardeners 1% 5% 41% 8%

6. Semi-routine occupations

Education assistants

22%(38% graduates)

20%(3% graduates)

22% 11%

Kitchen porters 3% 2% 23% 2%

Food production

1% 1% 38% 39%

7. Routine occupations

Metal mates 44% -Drivers (goods) 19% 32%

Bar staff 16% 28%

McKnight and Elias (1998) 371 Database: Source UK Labour Force Survey 1994

Microclass Analyses

• Description of the composition of the microclasses

• Summary results of GCSE attainment by microclasses• Examine some microclasses in detail (teaching and managerial)• Think about within-microclasses?

• Sensitivity analyses with the microclass measure• Gelman and Hill (2007) style random effects

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1101. Jurists1102. Health professionals1103. Professors and instructors1104. Natural scientists1105. Statistical and social scientists1106. Architects1107. Accountants1108. Journalists, authors, and related1109. Engineers1201. Officials, government and non-pro1202. Managers1203. Commercial Managers1204. Building managers and proprietors1301. Systems analysts and programmers1302. Aircraft pilots and navigators1303. Personnel and labor relations work1304. Elementary and secondary school teacher1305. Librarians1306. Creative artists1307. Ship officers1308. Professional, technical, and related1309. Social and welfare workers1310. Workers in religion1311. Nonmedical technicians1312. Health semiprofessionals1313. Hospital attendants1314. Nursery school teachers and aides2001. Proprietors3101. Real estate agents3102. Other agents3103. Insurance agents3104. Cashiers3105. Sales workers and shop assistants3201. Telephone operators3202. Bookkeepers and related workers3203. Office and clerical workers3204. Postal and mail distribution clerical4101. Craftsmen and kindred workers4103. Electronics service and repair workers4104. Printers and related workers4105. Locomotive operators4107. Tailors and related workers4108. Vehicle mechanics

4109. Blacksmiths and machinists4110. Jewelers, opticians, and precious4111. Other mechanics4112. Plumbers and pipe-fitters4113. Cabinetmakers4114. Bakers4115. Welders and related metal workers4116. Painters4117. Butchers4118. Stationary engine operators4119. Bricklayers, carpenters, and relates4120. Heavy machine operators4201. Truck drivers4202. Chemical processors4203. Miners and related workers4204. Longshoremen and freight handlers4205. Food processors4206. Textile workers4207. Sawyers and lumber inspectors4208. Metal processors4209. Operatives and kindred workers, n4210. Forestry workers4301. Protective service workers4302. Transport conductors4303. Guards and watchmen4304. Food service workers4305. Mass transportation operators4306. Service workers, n.e.c.4307. Hairdressers4308. Newsboys and deliverymen4309. Launderers and dry-cleaners4310. Housekeeping workers4311. Janitors and cleaners4312. Gardeners5101. Fishermen5201. Farmers and farm managers5202. Farm laborers9990. Members of armed forces

Examples of the Composition of Microclasses

Health Professionals Health Semi-Professionals220 Medical practitioners 222 Ophthalmic opticians221 Pharmacists / pharmacologists 340 Nurses223 Dental practitioners 341 Midwives224 Veterinarians 342 Medical radiographers

343 PhysiotherapistsWorkers in religion 344 Chiropodists292 Clergy 345 Dispensing opticians

347 Occupational and speech therapistsElementary and Secondary teachers 348 Environmental health officers233 Secondary school teachers 349 Other health associated professionals234 Primary school teachers235 Special education239 Other teaching (e.g. dance)

Microclass Mean GCSE score S.E. Mean

Median GCSE score n GCSE score

Health professionals 52.96 0.69 55 426

Statistical and social scientists 51.18 1.55 54 83Professors and instructors 51.13 0.52 53 738Natural scientists 51.12 0.78 53 299

Elementary and secondary school teachers 50.45 0.28 52 2521Jurists 49.81 1.03 51 219

Systems analysts and programmers 49.11 0.46 51 948Workers in religion 49.01 1.13 52 180Librarians 48.81 1.29 50 111Architects 48.54 0.64 50 471

Sawyers and lumber inspectors 29.39 1.67 29 84Food processors 29.31 3.7 29 13Truck drivers 29.28 0.51 29.5 1062Textile workers 28.92 1.52 30 127Heavy machine operators 28.49 0.8 28 445

Longshoremen and freight handlers 28.47 1.29 29 139Miners and related workers 27.28 1.2 27 183Housekeeping workers 26.93 0.58 26 859Fishermen 26 2.88 23 29Launderers and dry-cleaners 25.37 2.23 25 43

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Other Eng

MedicsUni teach

Publicans

Teachers (secondary)

Aux Nurses

Other teachers

Gardeners

Elec fitters

Food pro

Educ ass

Bar staff

Other misc

Metal mates

2030

4050

Mea

n G

CS

E S

core




Mean GCSE Score, Parents' SOC90 (large SOC groups)Illustrations of extreme occupations


23

3540

4550

Mea

n G

CS

E S

core

NS-SEC3Other (e.g.dance)

SecondaryPrimary

SpecialMicroclass

Source: SN5765;1990s YCS Cohorts.

Parents in teaching occupations

GCSE Attainment Year 11Mean GCSE Score, comprehensive school pupils

Microclassn Mean

s.e. mean lower upper

1202 Managers 5339 42.25 0.22 41.82 42.67

1203Commercial Managers 2391 46.49 0.30 45.90 47.08

1302 Aircraft Pilots 76 45.55 1.50 42.56 48.55

1310 Clergy 180 49.27 1.14 47.02 51.51

Multiple Occupations (SOC90) and Single Occupation Microclasses

5339

108

1058

31216 104

191

29379 1456

1644

3540

4550

55M

ean

GC

SE

Sco

re

MicroclassGeneral

ProductionMines

TransportStore

WarehouseCatering

EntertainmentService

Other

SOC90

Parents in Microclass 1202


2529 31216 104

191

29379 1456

3035

4045

Mea

n G

CS

E S

core

New MicroclassMines

TransportStore

WarehouseCatering

EntertainmentService

SOC90

Parents in New Microclass


No. parameters{# unique units}

Full R2 R2 increment

(no occ data) 0.077

CAMSIS 1 {405} 0.191 0.115

ISEI 1 {59} 0.184 0.107

NS-SEC 8 0.184 0.107

Educ_Scale (YCS)a 1 {365} 0.217 0.141

Educ_Scale (BHPS) 1 {76} 0.184 0.108

Microclass 81 0.201 0.125

ISCO88 (3-digit) 236 0.214 0.137

SOC90 369 0.220 0.143

n=54793. Linear regression with controls for cohort, gender and ethnicity. Excludes SOC90=999 (‘All other miscellaneous’).

a. Tom DiPrete suggested the inclusion of such a measure.

Sensitivity Analyses – Random effects models

Level 3 Level 2 Level 3 ICC

Level 2 ICC

Level 2 + Level 3 ICC (loglike)

(1) SOC90 0.165 0.165 (227221)

(2a) {+i.microclass} SOC90 0.032 0.032 (226808)

(2b) {+i.ns-sec} SOC90 0.058 0.058 (227029)

(3) Microclass 0.163 0.163 (227411)

(4) NS-SEC 0.138 0.138 (227828)

(5) Microclass SOC90 0.151 0.027 0.178 (227077)

(6) NS-SEC SOC90 0.110 0.052 0.162 (227052)

(7) NS-SEC Microclass 0.053 0.063 0.117 (227176)

Estimated using xtmixed in Stata with reml ,except (4) using mle. (6) and (7) are cross-classified models, (5) is nested.

Sensitivity Analyses – Random effects models

Level 3 Level 2 Level 3 ICC

Level 2 ICC

Level 2 + Level 3 ICC (loglike)

(5) Microclass SOC90 0.151 0.027 0.178 (227077)

At the present time we believe that this results indicates that the bulk, but not all, of the parental occupational variation is accounted for by microclass.

This clearly requires more thought…

ConclusionsThere might be extra insights somewhere between ‘big class categories’ and

‘individual occupations’?

• Microclasses are sociologically plausible

• First attempt to construct a British microclass scheme• Extra explanatory power (for GCSE attainment) questionable?

• Alternative operationalisations of micro classes• Many UK data sources now don’t include occupational unit group information so a

microclass approach may be restricted?

• Possibilities for primary data collection• Survey question with microclass lists (e.g. librarian, butcher etc)• Harry Ganzeboom has made this point previously 30

Conclusions• Parental occupations are important for GCSE attainment

• Message to head teachers (on performance related pay) enrol the sons and daughters of dance teachers rather than publicans!

• Unwillingness to collect parental occupational information (Govt and schools)

• Free school meals a measure of social background (in research and league tables)

• About 15% of pupils in state funded secondary schools• Unstable measure - panel data regularly reveals a high level of ‘income churning’

from year to year (for the UK see Jarvis and Jenkins 1997)

• Possible end of Youth Cohort Study! 31

Documents

How useful are microclasses ?