Abstract
Occupational aspiration is considered an intermediary social-psychological factor in occupational attainment process. In recent empirical studies in Japan, aspiration is thought to be isolated from the process; however, these studies require further investigation, for the assumption in the measurement of the aspiration scale is the primacy and unidimensionality of “status,” which has been criticized from several viewpoints. This paper reconsiders aspiration by measuring occupational orientation through an approach that focuses on similarities among occupations rather than unidimensional status. Data from a survey conducted in 2008 are used. The sample consists of male employees 25-39 years old in 23 wards of Tokyo. Analyses are carried out for the cognitive structure of occupations based on their similarities, the direction of preference in the structure, and the linkage in the attainment process. Three dimensions of cognitive features derived are interpreted as “status with stability,” “organization/skill,” and “discretion.” The orientations toward them are measured using individual data of occupational preferences. Each orientation has a statistically significant association with respondents' attributes, including their own occupation. The implications for previous and future studies are also discussed.
