Occupational prestige in urban China

Abstract

The paper reports ratings of occupational prestige by urban residents in Beijing, China. Using a representative sample (N = 1,632) of adults aged 20-64 and a selected group of 50 occupations, we found that their rankings are remarkably consistent with those found in other countries. Within the general patterns of rankings, however, specific differences are found, and these reflect not only the specific skills required and resources valued at a particular historical moment in development but also the social effects of recent political events. These findings suggest a general correspondence of prestige rankings among major occupations across societies and that attention should be paid to the society's geopolitical characteristics and its recent historical experiences. Finally, a series of predictive equations are constructed to estimate prestige scores for all occupations in urban China.