ABSTRACT
Inter-generational transmission of status and inter-generational mobility necessarily complement each other. There is a strong correlation between the occupational status of fathers and the occupational status of positions in which the sons spend the greater part of their careers. Although the unequal distribution of educational opportunities is a major source of variation in chances for occupational advancement there are many other sources of variation. A relative lack of education has an adverse effect on the occupational level at which the individual enters the labor market, as well as on his subsequent career. The job history materials obtained in the Oakland study permit an analysis of the relationship between the "principal" occupation of fathers and the career patterns of their sons, an approach which represents some advance over the customary method. Individuals may be classified as mobile or nonmobile by comparing their present position with the regular occupation of their fathers.
