Mens & Maatschappij - Volume 92, Issue 2, 2017

Initial cultural capital, an enduring advantage? A study of the effect of cultural capital on occupational status

This article investigates how cultural capital influences occupational status, and the role of education therein. From the cultural reproduction theory, we derive hypotheses expecting a direct positive effect from cultural capital on occupational status, and an indirect effect through education. Drawing on the cultural mobility theory, we hypothesize that the direct effect decreases with the level of education. Using data from the Longitudinal Internet Studies of the Social Sciences, we find partial support for the cultural reproduction theory implying that cultural capital is supporting inequality in the educational system but not in the occupational field. There is no support for our hypothesis based on the cultural mobility theory, as we do not find robust effect from education on the relation between cultural capital and occupational status.

Personnel strategies: explaining differences in the use of labour flexibility and career opportunities at the workplace

In the past years, the number of Dutch people who work on flexible labour contracts (e.g. fixed-term contracts and self-employment) has increased substantially. The consequences of flexible employment on macro-economic outcomes and career opportunities for individuals have been broadly analysed. Studies at the organisational level are largely missing. Therefore, this article analyses different personnel strategies at the workplace. Two different strategies attract attention in particular: ‘high road’ organisations are characterised by the use of permanent contracts and career enhancing activities, while ‘low road’ organisations combine the use of flexible employment without opportunities for career enhancement. Based on data on approximately 500 employers in the Netherlands, we observe that a high road strategy depends on the knowledge-intensity of work. Contrary to our expectations, the level of competitive pressure does not influence organisational choice processes.

Working poor in the Netherlands: Transitions in and out of the working poor

The Netherlands has increasing numbers of working poor. Recent figures show that one in twenty working individuals in the Netherlands lives in a household below the poverty threshold. In Amsterdam, the in-work poverty risk is even higher than average; the reason for this research. The Amsterdam working poor are a heterogeneous category. Half of them have permanent contracts; a large minority works at least 30 hours a week. They work in sectors like transport, shops, catering, but also in public services. Many, but not all working poor are poorly educated. Are they the victims of activating labour market policies that push low-skilled workers on the labour market without escaping from poverty? This appears not to be the case. Less than half of the working poor in Amsterdam entered this situation after having a social benefit. The majority of these former social benefit claimants say they did not experience any pressure to accept low-paid work instead of a social benefit. The other working poor entered this situation from some other employment or directly from school. Respondents mention three factors as reasons of becoming working poor: physical or mental health problems, child care responsibilities, and deficient education. More often, it is a combination of unfavourable factors that results in in-work poverty.