Intergeneration occupational mobility and income

The relationship between intergeneration occupational mobility and income is examined in three independent studies: (1) a sample of older men in Detroit, (2) a sample of working age men residing in one of six medium to large sized cities, and (3) a nationally representative sample of working age men. In all three studies, mobile men have lower incomes than do stable men. However, neither the direction nor the degree of mobility appears to affect income in any of the studies examined. The basic relationship between mobility per se and income does not disappear when controls are introduced for work experience, schooling, occupational origins, and occupational destinations. The observed impact of intergeneration occupational mobility on income is consistent with the view that fathers can use their personal and organizational connections to help their sons secure well-paying positions so long as the sons remain in occupations that are similar in status to those of their fathers.