MPIDR Working Paper

Work lives amid social change and continuity: occupational trajectories in Monterrey, Mexico

Solis, P., Billari, F. C.
MPIDR Working Paper WP-2002-009, 54 pages.
Rostock, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research (February 2002)
Open Access

Abstract

In this paper we use sequence analysis to study the occupational trajectories between the ages 14 and 30 for men in Monterrey, the third largest city of Mexico. We build typologies of trajectories based on life-history data and then explore changes in the frequency of these ´typical´ trajectories over time as well as differences across socioeconomic groups. Cohort trends reveal more continuities than changes in occupational trajectories, despite the structural changes experienced by the city in the last two decades. Career patterns are closely related to family origins and educational attainment, thus suggesting the continuing importance of both ascribed and attained characteristics on occupational outcomes.
The Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research (MPIDR) in Rostock is one of the leading demographic research centers in the world. It's part of the Max Planck Society, the internationally renowned German research society.