Historical trends in status attainment.

Inquiry into the question of historical trends in status attainment will, in this article, involve the comparison of different age groups and different age groups across time. Mindful of limitations in interpreting differences between age groups as historical trends, this study provides such an analysis. Data for this study are from the NORC General Social Survey (July 1988, University of Chicago) and cover the time period from 1973 to 1988. The data offers an opportunity to both examine certain features of historical change as well as to ascertain its stability.