The Socioeconomic Achievement of White Religio-Ethnic Subgroups: Social and Psychological Explanations

Abstract

In longitudinal data for the decade 1957-67, the socioeconomic achievement of white metropolitan native males from five religio-ethnic backgrounds is examined. Jews, regardless of ethnic ancestry, attain higher levels of education, occupation, and income than all other subgroups, while Roman Catholics of Italian and Mexican heritage achieve the lowest levels. Controlling statistically for social origins reduces the gross differentials by about one-third; no net effect of religio-ethnic affiliation remains during the ten-year period after both social origins and prior achieved statuses are controlled. Thus, there is no evidence of occupational and income discrimination on purely religious or ethnic grounds. Contrary to current emphasis in the social psychology of religio-ethnic achievement, achievement-related work values and motivations of adults are neither key intervening variables nor do they influence the process of stratification to a substantial degree. The most important variable in explaining the differential socioeconomic achievement of the religio-ethnic subgroups is education, after the variation owing to the handicaps and benefits of social origins has been removed statistically.