Using a unique data set containing explicit measures of both personality and tastes, this study applies logit techniques to predict which of five broadly defined occupational groups an individual will enter. The addition of personality and taste factors to a conventional set of variables—gender, race, education, experience, and father's socioeconomic status—significantly increases the predictive accuracy of estimating equations. Also, the results are generally consistent with a well-functioning labor market that sorts workers into jobs satisfying their individual preferences. A specific finding is that gender differences in occupational structure are strongly linked to differences between men's and women's personalities and tastes.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
AgassiJudith B.1982Comparing the Work Attitudes of Men and Women. Lexington, Mass.: Lexington Books.
2.
BellerAndrea H.1982“Occupational Segregation by Sex: Determinants and Changes.”Journal of Human Resources, Vol. 17, No. 3, pp. 371–92.
3.
BoskinMichael J.1974“A Conditional Logit Model of Occupational Choice.”Journal of Political Economy, Vol. 82, No. 2, pp. 389–98.
4.
CarolArthur, and ParrySamuel1968“The Economic Rationale of Occupational Choice.”Industrial and Labor Relations Review, Vol. 21, No. 2, pp. 183–96.
5.
CosslettStephen R.1981“Efficient Estimation of Discrete-Choice Models.” In ManskiCharles F. and McFaddenDaniel, eds., Structural Analysis of Discrete Data with Econometric Applications. Cambridge: MIT Press.
6.
DaymontThomas N., and AndrisanniPaul J.1984“Job Preferences, College Major, and the Gender Gap in Earnings.”Journal of Human Resources, Vol. 19, No. 3, pp. 408–28.
7.
EdgeworthFrancis Ysidro1922“Equal Pay to Men and Women for Equal Work.”Economic Journal, Vol. 32, No. 4, pp. 431–57.
8.
EnglandPaula1982“The Failure of Human Capital Theory to Explain Occupational Sex Segregation.”Journal of Human Resources, Vol. 17, No. 3, pp. 358–70.
9.
FilerRandall K.1981“The Influence of Affective Human Capital on the Wage Equation.” In EhrenbergRonald, ed., Research in Labor Economics, Vol. 4. Greenwich, Conn.:JAI Press.
10.
ForgionneGuiseppi A., and PetersVivian E.1982“Differences in Job Motivation and Satisfaction among Male and Female Managers.”Human Relations, Vol. 35, No. 2, pp. 101–18.
11.
GadeEldon M., and PetersonGlen1977“Intrinsic and Extrinsic Work Values and the Vocational Maturity of Vocational-Technical Students.”Vocational Guidance Quarterly, Vol. 26, No. 2, pp. 125–30.
12.
GuilfordJoan S.ZimmermanWayne S., and GuilfordJ. P.1976The Guilford-Zimmerman Temperament Survey Handbook: Twenty-five Years of Research. San Diego: EdITS Publishers.
13.
HalesLoyde, and HartmanTimothy1978“Personality, Sex and Work Values.”Journal of Experimental Education, Vol. 47, No. 1, pp. 16–21.
14.
HaspelAbraham E.1978“A Study in Occupational Choice: Managerial Positions.”Southern Economic Journal, Vol. 44, No. 4, pp. 958–67.
15.
JurgensenClifford E.1978“Job Preferences (What Makes a Job Good or Bad?).”Journal of Applied Psychology, Vol. 63, No. 3, pp. 267–76.
16.
KeithPat M., and GlassLynn1977“Sex Differences in the Perception of Job Factors.”College Student Journal, Vol. 11, No. 1, pp. 43–48.
17.
LacyWilliam B.BokemeierJanet L., and ShepardJon M.1983“Job Attribute Preferences and Work Commitment of Men and Women in the United States.”Personnel Psychology, Vol. 36, No. 2, pp. 315–30.
18.
LyleJerolyn R., and RossJane L.1973Women in Industry: Employment Patterns of Women in American Industry. Lexington, Mass.: D. C. Heath.
19.
MaddalaG. S.1983Limited Dependent and Qualitative Variables in Econometrics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
20.
ManskiCharles F., and LermanSteven R.1977“The Estimation of Choice Probabilities from Choice Based Samples.”Econometrica, Vol. 45, No. 8, pp. 1977–88.
21.
McFaddenDaniel1973“Conditional Logit Analysis of Qualitative Choice Behavior.” In ZarembkaPaul, ed., Frontiers in Econometrics. New York: Academic Press.
22.
MurrayMichael A., and AtkinsonTom1981“Gender Differences in Correlates of Job Satisfaction.”Canadian Journal of Behavioral Science, Vol. 13, No. 1, pp. 44–52.
23.
PindyckRobert S., and RubinfeldDaniel L.1981Econometric Models and Economic Forecasts, 2d Edition.New York:McGraw-Hill.
24.
PolachekSoloman1981“Occupational Self-Selection: A Human Capital Approach to Sex Differences in Occupational Structure.”Review of Economics and Statistics, Vol. 63, No. 1, pp. 60–69.
25.
SadlerJ. B.1974“Stability of the Guilford-Zimmerman Temperament Survey Measures Between Freshman and Senior Years,” working paper. Sioux Falls State College.
26.
SchmidtPeter, and StraussRobert P.1975“The Prediction of Occupation Using Multiple Logit Models.”International Economic Review, Vol. 16, No. 2, pp. 471–86.
27.
TheilHenri1969“A Multinomial Extension of the Linear Logit Model.”International Economic Review, Vol. 10, No. 3, pp. 251–59.
28.
WeissYoram1976“The Wealth Effect in Occupational Choice.”International Economic Review, Vol. 17, No. 2, pp. 292–307.
