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Reproducing inequality through occupation: the mediating role of social dominance orientation in socioeconomic status and occupational choices

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Xiao-Na Xie
Xiao-Na Xie
Xiao-Na Xie
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Xing-Yu Long
Xing-Yu Long
Xing-Yu Long
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Yong-Yu Guo
Yong-Yu Guo
Yong-Yu Guo
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Recent research has highlighted the crucial role of employment in social mobility amid growing concerns about social solidification and the expanding wealth gap. This study investigates whether university students from upper social status, characterized by a pronounced inclination towards social dominance, prefer occupations that monopolize resources and perpetuate social inequalities. Results indicated that students from higher socioeconomic status exhibited elevated levels of social dominance orientation and favoured occupational values that prioritize elite interests over those that benefit the underprivileged. The second study analysed the actual occupational choices of 169 university students from diverse social backgrounds. A pilot study involving 44 participants identified occupations that either enhance or attenuate social hierarchies. Subsequent regression and mediation analyses revealed that students from more affluent backgrounds showed a marked preference for occupations that enhance social hierarchies and exhibited less interest in occupations that attenuate them. Social dominance orientation was identified as a mediating factor in this relationship. These findings offer new insights into the mechanisms of social mobility and solidification, highlighting the importance of understanding how occupational choices shape, and are shaped by, broader societal structures and their implications for social equity.
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Current Psychology (2024) 43:35427–35437
https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-024-07003-3
within the job market. Such insights are pivotal in under-
standing the perpetuation of status advantages.
Moreover, an individual’s socio-political attitudes, as
proposed by Social Dominance Theory (SDT, Pratto et al.,
1994), signicantly inuence their occupation decisions.
Social Dominance Theory (SDT; Pratto et al., 1994) pro-
poses that individuals’ socio-political attitudes signicantly
inuence their occupational decisions. According to this the-
ory, people tend to choose occupations that align with their
views on social dominance, which in turn aects levels of
social inequality (Pratto et al., 1997). SDT posits that advan-
taged groups, such as males and those from majority ethnic
backgrounds, typically exhibit higher social dominance ori-
entation and consequently show a stronger preference for
occupations that maintain social hierarchies. Conversely,
System Justication Theory (SJT; Jost, 2019; Jost & Banaji,
1994) oers an alternative perspective. SJT proposes that
individuals of lower status may be more motivated than
those of higher status to support the system responsible for
their disadvantage, particularly in highly unequal contexts
Introduction
In recent years, the widening wealth gap and increased
inequality have gained signicant attention (e.g., Melita et
al., 2023; Pi et al., 2018; Trump & White, 2018). This focus
has underscored employment as a crucial factor for social
mobility, positioning it as a central topic in social studies
(e.g., Han et al., 2024; Jackson et al., 2005). Researchers
widely recognize that the unfair distribution of resources
skews employment opportunities and occupational choices,
thereby entrenching lower status in disadvantaged positions
Yong-Yu Guo
yyguo@njnu.edu.cn
1 School of Sociology and Population Sciences, Nanjing
University of Posts and Telecommunications, Nanjing, China
2 School of Psychology, Nanjing Normal University, 122
Ninghai Road, Nanjing 210097, Jiangsu Province, China
Abstract
Recent research has highlighted the crucial role of employment in social mobility amid growing concerns about social
solidication and the expanding wealth gap. This study investigates whether university students from upper social status,
characterized by a pronounced inclination towards social dominance, prefer occupations that monopolize resources and
perpetuate social inequalities. Results indicated that students from higher socioeconomic status exhibited elevated levels
of social dominance orientation and favoured occupational values that prioritize elite interests over those that benet
the underprivileged. The second study analysed the actual occupational choices of 169 university students from diverse
social backgrounds. A pilot study involving 44 participants identied occupations that either enhance or attenuate social
hierarchies. Subsequent regression and mediation analyses revealed that students from more auent backgrounds showed
a marked preference for occupations that enhance social hierarchies and exhibited less interest in occupations that attenu-
ate them. Social dominance orientation was identied as a mediating factor in this relationship. These ndings oer new
insights into the mechanisms of social mobility and solidication, highlighting the importance of understanding how
occupational choices shape, and are shaped by, broader societal structures and their implications for social equity.
Keywords Social mobility · Occupational choices · Social inequality · Social dominance orientation
Accepted: 11 November 2024 / Published online: 27 November 2024
© The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2024
Reproducing inequality through occupation: the mediating role
of social dominance orientation in socioeconomic status and
occupational choices
Xiao-NaXie1,2 · Xing-YuLong2· Yong-YuGuo2
1 3
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