Occupational Attainment and Career Progression in West-Germany

Anna Manzoni, Yale University
Juho Härkönen, Stockholm University
Karl Ulrich Mayer, Yale University

We analyze intra-generational mobility from a stratification perspective. Individual mobility is linked with the development of inequality along the life course: Higher occupational mobility increases the chances of advancing from disadvantageous positions, contributing to a more fluid class structure. Using the German Life History Study, we analyze the career progression of respondents born between the 1920s and the 1970s focusing on the development of inequality over the life-course. We look at the effect of educational attainment and class origin over individual careers, along with their changes across cohorts. We find that younger cohorts of men and women enter the labor market later and hold higher prestige occupations. Career progression appears faster at the beginning of the career and on average slower for women, who also start from lower positions. Returns to education seem very high while class background has a lower direct effect, still significant though.