Methodology and Principal Findings of Western Sociological Research on the Prestige of Professions

The author describes the principal stages in the development of research in profession prestige since the emergence of the field in 1925 and up to the recent publications of 2006. The key phenomenon uncovered in the course of the research is that the relative rating of prestigious professions remains almost independent of research technique, surveyed group, time or place. More precise recent studies showed that profession prestige does exhibit small dynamics, but nevertheless remains fairly stable. However, studies of this type are practically non'existent in Russia. The author offers a very general picture of the concept of profession prestige as it emerged in Western sociology after hundreds of studies. The conclusion of the article is that research on profession prestige is highly desirable in Russia. It is of use both for practical purposes (for education and professional orientation, or as an objective stratification parameter, for all social sciences) and as an independent topic of study.