LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON
"The greater the probability of death associated with an occupation, the more likely a son will follow his father into that occupation." So finds Joan Mahoney, a researcher at the State University of New York at Buffalo, in a study of 4,660 men in 347 occupations, ranging from logger, ranked the most hazardous blue-collar trade, and pilot, the most-dangerous white-collar work, to typist and usher, among the safest of jobs. Sons believe they can control the dangers involved, she speculates.
And they're also aware of the standard of living their fathers' jobs have earned. "The higher the income associated with the occupation, the more likely the son will follow in occupational footsteps," she says. But the greater the son's educational level, the less likely he is to follow. And whites are more likely to pursue their father's careers than nonwhites.
"The battles won and benefits reaped by [nonwhite] fathers may not be passed along to sons," she suggests.
