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Americans' occupational status reflects the status of both of their parents.

ABSTRACT: American workers' occupational status strongly reflects the status of their parents. Men and women who grew up in a two-earner or father-breadwinner family achieved occupations that rose 0.5 point for every one-point increase in their parents' statuses (less if their father was absent). Gender differences were small in two-earner families and mother-only families, but men's status persisted more when the father was the sole breadwinner. Intergenerational persistence did not change in the time the data cover (1994-2016). Absolute mobility declined for recent birth cohorts; barely half the men and women born in the 1980s were upwardly mobile compared with two-thirds of those born in the 1940s. The results as described hold for a socioeconomic index (SEI) that scores occupation according to the average pay and credentials of people in the occupation. Most results were the same when occupations were coded by different criteria, but SEI produced the smallest gender differences.

SUBMITTER: Hout M

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6156671 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Americans' occupational status reflects the status of both of their parents.

Hout Michael M

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 20180904 38

American workers' occupational status strongly reflects the status of their parents. Men and women who grew up in a two-earner or father-breadwinner family achieved occupations that rose 0.5 point for every one-point increase in their parents' statuses (less if their father was absent). Gender differences were small in two-earner families and mother-only families, but men's status persisted more when the father was the sole breadwinner. Intergenerational persistence did not change in the time th ...[more]

PMID: 30181284

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Project description:BACKGROUND:Low levels of total 25-hydroxyvitamin D are common among black Americans. Vitamin D-binding protein has not been considered in the assessment of vitamin D deficiency. METHODS:In the Healthy Aging in Neighborhoods of Diversity across the Life Span cohort of blacks and whites (2085 participants), we measured levels of total 25-hydroxyvitamin D, vitamin D-binding protein, and parathyroid hormone as well as bone mineral density (BMD). We genotyped study participants for two common polymorphisms in the vitamin D-binding protein gene (rs7041 and rs4588). We estimated levels of bioavailable 25-hydroxyvitamin D in homozygous participants. RESULTS:Mean (±SE) levels of both total 25-hydroxyvitamin D and vitamin D-binding protein were lower in blacks than in whites (total 25-hydroxyvitamin D, 15.6±0.2 ng per milliliter vs. 25.8±0.4 ng per milliliter, P<0.001; vitamin D-binding protein, 168±3 ?g per milliliter vs. 337±5 ?g per milliliter, P<0.001). Genetic polymorphisms independently appeared to explain 79.4% and 9.9% of the variation in levels of vitamin D-binding protein and total 25-hydroxyvitamin D, respectively. BMD was higher in blacks than in whites (1.05±0.01 g per square centimeter vs. 0.94±0.01 g per square centimeter, P<0.001). Levels of parathyroid hormone increased with decreasing levels of total or bioavailable 25-hydroxyvitamin D (P<0.001 for both relationships), yet within each quintile of parathyroid hormone concentration, blacks had significantly lower levels of total 25-hydroxyvitamin D than whites. Among homozygous participants, blacks and whites had similar levels of bioavailable 25-hydroxyvitamin D overall (2.9±0.1 ng per milliliter and 3.1±0.1 ng per milliliter, respectively; P=0.71) and within quintiles of parathyroid hormone concentration. CONCLUSIONS:Community-dwelling black Americans, as compared with whites, had low levels of total 25-hydroxyvitamin D and vitamin D-binding protein, resulting in similar concentrations of estimated bioavailable 25-hydroxyvitamin D. Racial differences in the prevalence of common genetic polymorphisms provide a likely explanation for this observation. (Funded by the National Institute on Aging and others.).

Project description:BACKGROUND:Very few studies with nationally representative samples have investigated the combined effects of race/ethnicity and socioeconomic position (SEP) on polypharmacy (PP) among older Americans. For instance, we do not know if prevalence of PP differs between African Americans (AA) and white older adults, whether this difference is due to a racial gap in SEP, or whether racial and ethnic differences exist in the effects of SEP indicators on PP. Aims: We investigated joint effects of race/ethnicity and SEP on PP in a national household sample of American older adults. Methods: The first wave of the University of Michigan National Poll on Healthy Aging included a total of 906 older adults who were 65 years or older (80 AA and 826 white). Race/ethnicity, SEP (income, education attainment, marital status, and employment), age, gender, and PP (using 5+ medications) were measured. Logistic regression was applied for data analysis. Results: Race/ethnicity, age, marital status, and employment did not correlate with PP; however, female gender, low education attainment, and low income were associated with higher odds of PP among participants. Race/ethnicity interacted with low income on odds of PP, suggesting that low income might be more strongly associated with PP in AA than white older adults. Conclusions: While SEP indicators influence the risk of PP, such effects may not be identical across diverse racial and ethnic groups. That is, race/ethnicity and SEP have combined/interdependent rather than separate/independent effects on PP. Low-income AA older adults particularly need to be evaluated for PP. Given that race and SEP have intertwined effects on PP, racially and ethnically tailored interventions that address PP among low-income AA older adults may be superior to universal interventions and programs that ignore the specific needs of diverse populations. The results are preliminary and require replication in larger sample sizes, with PP measured directly without relying on individuals' self-reports, and with joint data collected on chronic disease.

Dataset Information

Americans' occupational status reflects the status of both of their parents.

Publications

Americans' occupational status reflects the status of both of their parents.

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