Education, Party Membership, and Occupational Status Attainment in China's Social Transformation (1950-2017)

Previous researches on the occupational status attainment among Chinese residents have predominantly employed grouped regression analysis, which categorizes data according to significant historical events. This approach explores how variables such as education and party membership influence status attainment across different time periods. However, it often overlooks the heterogeneity of effects within these groups. To address this gap, the present study utilizes urban sample data from the "China General Social Survey (CGSS)" spanning from 2003 to 2017(n=43,235) ¹ . It segments the population into 68 cohorts based on individuals' year of entry from 1950 to 2017, thereby concentrating on the evolving impacts of education level and party membership on occupational status attainment post the establishment of New China. The findings reveal a continuous overall increase in average occupational status since the founding of New China. Both education level and party membership positively correlate with status attainment; however, their relative significance exhibits considerable variation across different eras. These results both corroborate and challenge prior studies concerning status attainment. While the method of grouped regression analysis based on major historical events effectively captures the general shift from a redistributive to a market economy, it fails to sufficiently account for the nuanced impacts of social change on occupational status attainment. This study underscores the need for more detailed analyses to comprehensively understand these dynamics.