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Personnel Resources in theSOCIAL SCIENCES AND HUMANITIES
A SURVEY OFTHE CHARACTERISTICS AND ECONOMIC STATUS
OF PROFESSIONAL WORKERS IN 14 FIELDS OF SPECIALIZATION
Bul let in No 1169
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF L AB O RJ a m e s P. Mitche l l , Se
c r e ta ry
BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS Aryness Joy Wickens. Acting
Commissioner
In c o o p e r a t i o n withUNITED STATES DEP ART MEN T OF
DEFENSE
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P E R S O N N E L R E S O U R C E S IN T H E
S O C IA L S C I E N C E S A N D H U M A N IT IE S
A Survey of the Characteristics and Economic Status
of Professional W orkers in 14 Fields of Specialization
Bulletin N o. 1169
UNITED ST4J
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CON TEN TS
P ageI n t r o d u c t io n
...............................................................................................
1
S um m ary o f f i i id in g s
...............................................................................
3
P a r t I. S p ec ia ltie s and c h a r a c te r is t ic s o f s
o c ia l s c ie n tis ts and h u m a n is t s
..................................................... 7
P e rs o n n e l in cluded in the s u r v e y
........................................ 7F ie ld s o f s p e c ia
liz a t io n
........................................................... 8
A n th rop o logy and a r c h a e o l o g y
........................................ 8E c o n o m i c s
..................................................................................
9G eograp h y
..................................................................................
9H i s t o r y
............................................................. 9P o
lit ic a l s c i e n c e
.....................................................................
9S o c i o l o g y
.....................................................................................
9S t a t i s t i c s
.....................................................................................
11L in g u is t ics and l i t e r a t u r e s
.............................................. 11Other h u m a n it
ie s
.....................................................................
11
A g e
........................................................................................................
13
E ducationa l back grou n d
........................................................... 13E
xtent o f e d u ca t io n
..................................................................
13F ie ld o f e d u c a t i o n
..................................................................
16
W om en
...............................................................................................
17
P a rt II. E m p loym en t and earn ings
........................................... 19E m p lo y m e n t
.....................................................................................
19
E m p loym en t s ta tu s
..................................................................
19F ie ld o f em p loym en t in re la tio n to f ie ld s o f
s p e c ia l i z a t io n
........................................................................
19Type o f em p lo y e r
..................................................................
22F u nction p e r f o r m e d
..............................................................
24
E a r n i n g s
............................................................................................
26A g e
..................................................................................................
27L e v e l o f e d u c a t io n
.................................................................
29Type o f e m p lo y e r
.......................................................... 29S a la
r ies o f w o m e n
.................................................................
33A dditional i n c o m e
.................................................................
34
A p p en d ixes:A . T a b l e s
........................................................................................
38B . S cope and m ethod o f s u r v e y
........................................... 126
F a c s im ile o f qu estion n a ire
........................................... 132
O ccupationa l ou tlook and re la ted p u b lica tion s o f the
B ureau o f L a b or S t a t i s t i c s
..............................................................................
136
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age
1 0
18
2 1
28
34
1 2
15
23
30
35
T E X T T A B L E S
Employment status of social scientists and humanists and of
graduate students, 1952
...............................................
Field of specialization of women social scientists and humanists
and women graduate students, 1952 ...............
Employment of social scientists and humanists by field of
specialization, 1952
..............................................................
Median annual salaries of social scientists and humanists, by
age group, 1952 .........................................
.................
Median annual salary and median age of men and women social
scientists and humanists with Ph.D. degrees, 1952
.................................................................................................
CHARTS
Statisticians were the youngest group in the survey - -
linguistics and literatures specialists the oldest . . . .
Proportion of Ph.D. 1 s is highest among humanists and
historians.....................................................................................
Colleges and universities are the chief source of employment in
humanities and most social sciences . . . .
Economists, political scientists, and statisticians had highest
salary le v e ls
..............................................................
Women Ph. D. 's employed by colleges were older than men Ph.D. 1
s but had lower average s a la r ie s ...............
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age
38
39
43
48
52
53
56
59
65
6 6
67
A P P E N D I X T A B L E S
Distribution of social scientists and humanists, by detailed
specialty within each broad field of specialization, 1952
................................... ..
......................................
Detailed specialties of social scientists and humanists and of
graduate students, by employment status, 1952
..............................................................................................
Age of social scientists and humanists and of graduate students
in each field of specialization, by employment status, 1952
...........................................................
Age of social scientists and humanists, by detailed specialty,
for each field of specialization, 1952 . . . .
Educational level of social scientists and humanists and of
graduate students for each field of specialization, 1952
..................................................................................
Detailed specialties of social scientists and humanists, by
educational level, for each field of specialization, 1952
......................................................................
. .
Educational level of social scientists and humanists, by
detailed specialty,- for each field of specialization, 1952
..................................................................................
Field of education of social scientists and humanists, by
highest degree held, for each field of specialization, 1952
..............................................................
....................
Educational level of social scientists and humanists, by sex,
for each field of specialization, 1952 ...............
Educational level of graduate students, by sex, for each field
of specialization, 1952 ......................................
Field of specialization related to field of employment, for
social scientists and humanists, 1952 .....................
Comparison of field of specialization and employment specialty
of social scientists and humanists, 1952 . .
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Page
81
83
8 8
89
94
97
98
100
1 0 2
105
108
1 1 0
A P P E N D I X T A B L E S - - C O N T I N U E D
Field of specialization related to field of employment, by
educational level, for social scientists and humanists, 1952
.......................................................................
Field of education of social scientists and humanists, by
highest degree held, for each field of employment, 1952
..............................................................................................
Distribution of social scientists and humanists in each field of
employment, by type of employer, 1952 . . . .
Distribution of social scientists and humanists in each field of
employment, by level of education, for each type of employer, 1952
...........................................................
Level of education, by type of employer, for social scientists
and humanists, in each field of employment, 1952
..............................................................................................
Months worked by social scientists and humanists, for each field
of employment, 1952 .........................................
Median age and age distribution of social scientists and
humanists, by type of employer, for each field of employment, 1952
....................................................................
Functions performed by social scientists and humanists by
educational level for each field of employment, 1952
..............................................................................................
Functions performed by social scientists and humanists, by type
of employer, for each field of employment, 1952
...................................................................................
Annual salary of social scientists and humanists by age group,
1952
.................................................................
Median annual salary and median age of social scientists and
humanists, at each level of education, 1952 .
Median annual salary of social scientists and humanists in each
age group, by level of education, for each field of employment,
1952 .....................................................
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A P P E N D I X T A B L E S - - C O N T I N U E D
Page
A -25. Median annual salary of social scientists and humanists
in each age group, by principal type of employer and level of
education, 1952 ............................................... I l
l
A -26. Median annual salary and median age of social scientists
and humanists, at each educational level, for principal types of
employers, 1952 .................. ................. 116
A -27. Median annual salary and median age of men andwomen
social scientists and humanists, by level of education, 1952
.......................................................................
118'
A -28. Median annual salary and median age of men andwomen
social scientists and humanists, by principaltype of employer, 1952
............................................................
120
A -29. Median annual salary and median age of men and women Ph.
D. social scientists and humanists employed by colleges or
universities, 1952 ........................ 121
A -30. Median and quartile salary and income of social
scientists and humanists for each field of employment,1952
...............................................................................................
122
A -31. Source of additional income, by principal type
ofemployer, for social scientists and humanists reporting income in
addition to regular salary, 1952 ............ 123
B - 1. Professional societies participating in 1952 survey
ofsocial scientists and hum
anists.......................................... 131
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PERSONNEL RESOURCES IN THE SOCIAL SCIENCES AND HUMANITIES
IN TRODU CTION
The contributions made by social scientists and humanists to the
intellectual, cultural, and social life of individuals have long
been recognized. In recent years, there has also been increasing
awareness that many critical national and international problems
must be approached through intensive study and understanding of the
history and culture of various countries and the behavior of
individuals in their relations with each other. In addition, social
scientists and humanists--including area specialists with knowledge
not only of the physical features of a country but also of its
people--have made important contributions to national defense in
such fields as psychological warfare, propaganda, and intelligence
work.
To provide information about the Nation's resources of personnel
with specialized training and experience in social science and
humanistic fields, a questionnaire survey was conducted in 1952 by
the American Council of Learned Societies under sponsorship of the
Department of Defense. 1 This survey not only produced a roster of
personnel whose skills and experience have hitherto been largely
neglected in inventories of specialized human resources, 2 but for
the first time made available detailed statistical data on the
professional workers in 14 fields of specialization in the social
sciences and humanities.
This report is based on replies from approximately 25, 000
social scientists and humanists, most of whom were members of the
professional associations which cooperated in the survey.
1 See S cope and M ethod o f S u rvey , p .1 2 6 .2 The r o s t
e r is m ainta ined b y the A m e r ic a n C ou n cil o f
L ea rn ed S o c ie t ie s . H ow ev er , add itional re g is
tra t io n s a r e not s o lic it e d . F u rth er in fo rm a tio n
on this p a rt o f the p r o je c t can b e obta ined fr o m the A
m e r ic a n C ou n cil o f L ea rn ed S o c ie t ie s , 1219 -
16th S treet, N. W . , W ashington 6, D . C .
- 1 -
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- 2 -
Data are presented on the areas of specialization, age, and
educational backgrounds of the respondents in each major social
science and humanistic field. 3 Detailed information is presented
also on the specialties in which they were employed, the functions
they were performing, and the types of employing organizations.
Wherever possible, separate data are given for graduate students
and women. The concluding chapter discusses the salaries and
supplementary professional income of the respondents with full-time
employment.
This report, based on the data collected by the American Council
of Learned Societies, was prepared in the Bureau of Labor
Statistics' Division of Manpower and Employment Statistics with the
support of the Department of Defense. The report was planned and
written by Cora E. Taylor, under the direction of Helen Wood.
3 No analysis of the survey data on language or area specialties
is presented in this report. The American Council of Learned
Societies (footnote 2) is engaged in making detailed analyses of
the data on respondents with specialized knowledge of certain
geographic areas, including Africa, Asia, and Latin America.
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S U M M A R Y O F FINDINGS
- 3 -
Personnel Included in the Survey
The more than 15,000 social scientists who returned usable
questionnaires in response to this survey included about one-third
of the total number of m e n and w o m e n estimated to have been
professionally employed in 1952 in the following social science
fields: anthropology, economics, geography, history, political
science, sociology, and statistics. The 7,800 humanists in the
survey represented somewhat less than one-fourth of the total
personnel professionally employed in linguistics and literatures,
aesthetics, art, Biblical literature, musicology, oriental studies,
and philosophy. Also included among the respondents were about 2,
200 graduate students, not quite one-sixth of all students doing
graduate work in the social sciences and humanities in 1952.
The fact that most of the respondents were m e m b e r s of
professional associations should be borne in mind in interpreting
survey findings, since other studies have demonstrated that m e m
bers of a professional society tend in general to be an older, more
highly trained, and better established group than their profession
as a whole.
Fields of Specialization
The m e n and w o m e n in this survey were classified in
different specialties on the basis of their own statements
concerning the fields in which they had greatest competence.
Specialists in linguistics and literatures were the largest group
of respondents. Economists, political scientists, and historians
came next. Also responding to the survey were smaller numbers of
sociologists, statisticians, geographers, anthropologists and
archaeologists, and m e m b e r s of several relatively small
humanistic professions.
Most respondents in each of these fields had specialized in some
subdivisions of the field. In the general field of anthropology and
archaeology, for example, the m e n and w o m e n who considered
themselves specialists in archaeology were the largest group, and
the specialists in ethnology and social anthropology were the
second largest. Labor economics was the primary specialty of the
largest number of economists. A m o n g geographers, the largest
numbers were in economic, physical, and human geography, in
descending order. More than two-thirds of the historians reported
modern history, chiefly United States history, as their first
specialty. A m o n g the political scientists, public
administration was the specialty of by far the largest group;
within this specialty, personnel work and municipal and rural
adminis
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tration were major areas of concentration. Detailed specialties
cited by the greatest numbers of sociologists were social
organization and applied sociology. Well over half the
statisticians reported methodological techniques, chiefly analysis
of data, as their first specialty.
In linguistics and literatures, the specialties most often
reported were English literature, language teaching, American
literature, and literary history. A m o n g the smaller humanistic
fields (combined as "other humanities" throughout most of this
report), philosophy, Biblical literature, and art accounted for the
largest numbers of respondents; musicology, oriental studies, and
aesthetics accounted for the remainder.
AgeSince some of the social science professions have grown
more
rapidly in recent years than the humanities, social scientists
have a lower average age than humanists. Median ages for the
respondents in the social sciences ranged from 37 years for
statisticians and sociologists to 41 years for historians, and w e
r e '45 and 43 years for the two broad groups of
humanists--linguistics and literatures specialists and other
humanists. Graduate students were generally concentrated in the
25-29 year age group.
EducationThe Ph. D. was the predominant degree in 7 of the 9
fields of
specialization included in the survey; only in statistics and
geography did the proportion of respondents with the masters degree
exceed the proportion with the doctorate. More than half the
respondents in history, linguistics and literatures, and other
humanities held doctoral degrees. Most of the surveyed graduate
students had received their master's degrees and were working on
the doctorate.W o m e n
W o m e n represented from 20 to 30 percent of the respondents
in art, aesthetics, anthropology and archaeology, and linguistics
and literatures, but less than 8 percent of the economists and
political scientists. A smaller proportion of w o m e n than m e n
had the Ph. D. in each of the major fields of specialization. W o m
e n included in the survey were older, on the average, than
men.
EmploymentSince this study was limited to persons who considered
them
selves specialists in the social sciences or humanities, it
was
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expected that most would be employed in these fields. Thus,
about 10 percent of all those working full or part time held jobs
of other types--ranging from employment (such as educational
administration) which was closely related to their specialties to
nonprofessional work. Persons with only the masters or bachelor's
degree tended, to be employed outside their respective fields of
specialization to a mu c h greater extent than did Ph.D. 's.
The majority of social scientists and humanists in most
specialties were employed in colleges and universities. For
example, over 90 percent of the specialists in linguistics and
literatures were so employed. However, more statisticians were
employed in government and in private industry than in educational
institutions, and nearly as m a n y political scientists were in
government employment as on the campus.
The relative numbers of social scientists and humanists in these
different types of employment varied markedly with their
educational level. Most of the Ph.D. 's in every specialty were
employed by colleges and universities, but the greatest proportion
of master's in political science and statistics were employed by
the Federal Government. In general, greater proportions of
personnel with master's cuLbachelor's degrees than of those with
Ph.D. 's were employed in private industry.
Median ages of social scientists employed in colleges and
universities ranged from 37 years for statisticians to 43 years for
historians. Linguistics and literatures specialists in colleges had
a median age of 45 years. Employees of the Federal Government were
younger than college faculty members, and the respondents in
private industry were, on the average, youngest of all.
The principal function of the college and university employees
was, of course, teaching. However, a sizable proportion of the
statisticians (25 percent) and of the anthropologists and
archaeologists (20 percent) on college faculties, reported research
as their chief activity, as did a somewhat lower proportion of
sociologists. The majority of the Federal employees were engaged in
research--the most notable exception was the political scientists,
more than half of w h o m were performing administrative functions.
Of the economists and statisticians who were Federal employees,
about one-third were engaged in administrative work, another third
in research, and slightly fewer in operational activities. More
than 40 percent of the economists in private industry reported
research as their major function, and a like proportion of
statisticians in private employment reported administrative work as
their chief activity.
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EarningsMedian annual salaries of survey respondents were as
follows
for 1952: anthropologists and archaeologists - $5,300,
economists - $6,500, geographers - $5,100, historians - $5,000,
political scientists - $5,900, sociologists - $5, 100,
statisticians - $6,800, linguistics and literatures specialists -
$4,900, and specialists in other humanities - $5, 000. These
figures m a y be somewhat higher than the average for all social
scientists and humanists in the country in 1952, since the survey
included a disproportionately large number of highly qualified
persons.4
Salaries tended to rise with increasing experience, up to or
near retirement age. However, there were wide differences in
salaries of individuals in every age group--especially among the
older m e m b e r s of the professions.
In general, Ph. D. s had higher average salaries than persons of
comparable age with only the masters or bachelors degree.
Salarylevels were also.higher among the social scientists and
huipanists in the Federal Government and private industry than a-
mohg those of comparable age and education employed by colleges and
universities. However, a high proportion of the college faculty m e
m b e r s supplemented their regular salaries with income from
other sources, such as extra teaching, royalties from
publications,, lecturing, or consulting. The median salary of
college or university employees was approximately $5,000 in 1952,
in most fields covered by the survey, and median total annual
income was from $400 to $900 higher, depending on the field of
employment.
W o m e n social scientists and humanists are less highly paid
than male m e m b e r s of these professions. In most specialties,
the average salary differential between m e n and w o m e n of
comparable age and level of education and the same type of
employment was about $1,000 in 1952.
4 See appendix B, p.126.
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P A R T I. SPECIALTIES A N D C H A R A C T E R I S T I C S O F
SOCI A L SCIENTISTS A N D H U M A N I S T S
Personnel Included in the SurveyNo classification system of the
social sciences and humani
ties, satisfactory for all purposes, has yet been devised.
Classification is difficult owing to the overlapping of fields--not
only with other branches of the social sciences and humanities and
closely related fields, but also with widely different subject
fields such as the natural sciences. For example, m a n y
administrative and research positions in welfare organizations are
held by sociologists, but welfare service is generally considered
the domain of social workers ; and specialists in economic and
human geography m a y be classified as social scientists, but
persons specializing in other aspects of geography are usually
classified as natural scientists. One of the most difficult
occupations to classify is that of the statistician. Statistics is
a tool used by specialists in m a n y subject-matter fields, and it
is frequently impossible to distinguish people who are primarily
statisticians from those who are economists, biologists, or other
subject- matter specialists. The classification of teachers also
presents a special problem--they m a y be assigned to their major
subject field (as is usually done in classifying college teachers)
or to the teaching profession as such (the usual method of
classifying high school teachers and most school administrators).
The basis for classification of all specialists covered in this
study was the respondent's own opinion as to his primary field of
specialization.
In general, personnel covered by this survey were in basic
subject fields, rather than in applied fields. Social scientists
were in the following fields: anthropology (including archaeology),
economics, geography, history, political science, sociology, and
statistics. The humanistic fields covered linguistics and
literatures, aesthetics, art, Biblical literature, musicology,
oriental studies, and philosophy. 5 Specialists in applied fields
such as psychology, law, social work, education, library science,
and journalism are excluded from this report. Also excluded are
5 The last six fields are relatively small and are combined in
most tables under the heading "other humanities. "
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persons who had not been in any activity in the humanities or
social sciences within the past 15 years. *Fields of
Specialization
Each respondent to this survey of social scientists and
humanists was asked to determine his broad field of specialization
and then to select from a list of detailed specialties the one in
which he had greatest competence. 7 The largest group had
specialized in linguistics and literatures. Next largest fields
were economics, political science, and history--followed by
sociology, statistics, geography, and anthropology, in that order
(table l). The detailed specialties most frequently reported by the
survey respondents are discussed briefly in the sections which
follow. Table A - 1 of the appendix presents the specialties of the
employed and unemployed respondents c o m bined and table A - 2
gives more detailed information on the specialties of the full- and
part-time employed, the unemployed, and graduate students. Retired
persons and undergraduate students are omitted from these and all
subsequent fables.
Anthropology and archaeology. --Archaeology was the field of
highest competence of the greatest number of respondents (32
percent) in the broad field of anthropology and archaeology. The
second largest group (26 percent) cited ethnology and social
anthropology as their first specialty. Between 5 and 10 percent
regarded themselves as specialists in each of the following: areas
of the new world (especially the southwestern part of North.
America), applied anthropology, social organization, physical
anthropology, and culture and personality.
The following groups have also been excluded: (l) nonresident
aliens and those who indicated that their residence in the United
States was temporary; (2) undergraduate students below the senior
year; (3) respondents without academic training or professional
experience in the humanities or social sciences; (4) respondents
whose questionnaires were so incomplete that it was impossible to
determine their fields of specialization; (5) respondents born
before 1870.
7 The respondents were also instructed to indicate their second
and third specialties, in descending order of competence. However,
tabulations in this report refer only to the first specialty
indicated. For a complete list of detailed specialties used in the
survey see, Classifications for Surveys of Highly Trained
Personnel, American Council of Learned Societies, 1219- 16th
Street, N. W. , Washington 6, D. C.
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Economics. - -Labor economics was the specialty of the greatest
number of economists (14 percent). Nearly as many, however,
considered themselves to be general economists with no specialty or
regarded some aspect of economic theory (most frequently value and
distribution theory) as their area of highest competence. F r o m 6
to 10 percent of the total number of economists were in each of the
following specialties: business administration, land and
agricultural economics, international economics, and money and
banking.
Geography. The greatest number of geographers were specialists
in economic geography (33 percent); this broad classification
included those who had specialized in such fields as natural
resources, agriculture, transportation, and industry.The second
largest group was the physical geographers, who represented more
than a fifth of the respondents in this profession and included
those who specialized in land forms, climate, plants, animals,
soils, and related subjects. H u m a n geographers (political,
population, social or historical specialists) were the third
largest group (20 percent). Other geographers indicated
specialization in a technique (such as mapping) or a region of the
world.
History. --Two-thirds of the historians reported modern history
of specific countries (mainly the United States) as their first
specialty. Nearly one-fourth had topical specialties-- chiefly
diplomatic history (including international relations), cultural
and intellectual history, and state and local history. Fewer than 6
percent of the historians were specialists in either medieval or
ancient history.
Political science. - -By far the greatest proportion (40 per-
cent) of the political scientists had specialized in public
administration--either in this field as a whole, in personnel work,
or municipal or rural administration. The second largest number (14
percent) had specialized in American Government, and nearly as m a
n y (12 percent) were international relations specialists.
Specialties cited by fewer respondents, but in each case by 4 or
mor e percent of the total, included public law, international law,
area studies, history of political ideas, political parties and
public opinion, and comparative government.
Sociology. - -Social organization, relating mainly to the c o m
munity, was the specialty of the greatest number (13 percent) of
sociologists; nearly as many (10 percent) were specialists in some
branch of applied sociology, such as human relations in industry,
or penology and corrections. The next largest groups had
specialized in intergroup relations, family relationships, or
rural- urban problems.
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T a b l e 1 . E m p l o y m e n t s t a t u s o f s o c i a l s
c i e n t i s t s a n d h u m a n i s t s a n d o fg r a d u a t e
s t u d e n t s , 1 9 5 2
Social scientists a n d h u m a n i s t s G r a d u a t e
studentsU n d e r
graduatestudents1
Field of specialization Total E m p l o y e d full time
E m p l o y e d part time
U n e m p l o y e d a n d s e e k ing w o r k
E m p l o y e d part time
Full-timestudent
O t h e r 2
All fields ................. 2 5 , 0 5 4 20,870 612 391 1,012 1,
150 179 840
A n t h r o p o l o g y a n da r c h a e o l o g y .............
1,007 660 47 44 73 108 16 59
E c o n o m i c s ................. 4 , 1 7 4 3,735 63 29 143
113 11 80
G e o g r a p h y ................. 1,070 862 23 18 60 58 8
41
H i s t o r y ................... 2 , 9 7 9 2 ,434 82 46 124 158
12 123
Political s c i e n c e ......... 3, 618 3,013 63 71 140 209 52
70
S o c i o l o g y .................. 2 ,321 1,778 62 49 171 150
55>. 56
Statistics.................. 1,476 1,385 11 10 31 12 8 19
Linguistics a n dliteratures .......... 5,535 4, 674 147 75 204
181 4 250
O t h e r h u m a n i t i e s 3 ....... 2 , 8 7 4 2,329 114 49
66 161 13 142
1 Seniors only.2 Includes retired, others not seeking w o r k ,
a n d p e r s o n s not reporting e m p l o y m e n t status.3
Includes aesthetics, art, oriental studies, musicology, philosophy
a n d Biblical literature.
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Statistics. --In filling out the survey questionnaire, a
statistician had the alternative of checking as his first specialty
either one of several specified types of methodological techniques
or one of a number of fields of application of statistics. The
majority (nearly 60 percent) regarded themselves as tnost competent
in methodological techniques--most often, in statistical analysis
of data. Approximately 10 percent, in each case, regarded the
application of statistics to economics or business and management
as their primary specialty;and 16 percent checked the application
of statistics to other social sciences and related fields,
including education, psychology, and social service. Most of the
remaining respondents applied their statistical knowledge to the
physical sciences and related fields.
L i n g u i s t i c s a n d l i t e r a t u r e s . - - M o r e
t h a n half the r e s p o n d e n t s in this field r e g a r d e
d t h e m s e l v e s a s specialists in the literatures of p a r t
i c u l a r c o u n t r i e s o r a r e a s m o s t fr e q u e n t
l y , E n g l i s h literature. A p p l i e d linguistics (chiefly
l a n g u a g e t eaching) w a s the s p e cialty of the s e c o n
d l a r g e s t g r o u p (16 p e r c e n t ) . O t h e r
specialties cited b y c o n s i d e r a b l e n u m b e r s of r e
s p o n d e n t s w e r e l i t e r a r y h i s tory, l i t e r a r
y t y p e s (for e x a m p l e , p o e t r y , the ballad, a n d
the novel), a n d d e s c r i p t i v e linguistics (including p h
o n e t i c s , syntax, a n d dialects ).
Other humanities.--Of the six relatively small humanistic fields
grouped under this heading, the largest were philosophy, Biblical
literature, and art, each of which accounted for nearly one-fourth
of the respondents in the combined group. General history of art,
practice of the graphic arts, and the history of medieval art were
the fields of highest competence for the greatest numbers of art
specialists. A m o n g the Biblical literature specialists more
than half regarded some aspect of study of the Old or N e w
Testaments as their field of highest competence, and relatively
large numbers reported pastoral work as their first specialty. In
philosophy, the most frequently reported specialties were
metaphysics and epistemology, ethics, philosophy of religion, and
history and criticism of European philosophic, systems.
The remaining fields grouped under "other" humanities were
musicology, oriental studies, and aesthetics. Historical musicology
was the major specialty of the musicologists, while c o m parative
and systematic musicology (particularly the theory of music) ranked
second and music in society (including music in education) ranked
third. More than half the group of specialists in oriental studies
reported China as their region of specialization
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Chart 1. S T A T I S T I C I A N S W E R E T H E Y O U N G E S T
G R O U P IN T H E S U R V E Y - L INGUISTICS A N D L I T E R A T U
R E S S P E C I A L I S T S T H E O L D E S T
Percent Under and Over 40 Years of Age, 1952
FIELDOF SPECIALIZATION
Statistics
Sociology
Anthropology and Archaeology
Political Science
Geography
Economics
History
Humanities (except linguistics, etc}
Linguistics and Literatures
P e r c e n t
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 1001
----------1----------1----------1---------- 1--------- 1----------
1 i i i
Under 40 years
40 years and overSource: Table A-4
UN JTE D ST A TE S D E P A R T M E N T O F L A B O R BUREAU OF
LABOR STATISTICS
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13 -
and more than a quarter reported Japan. The few who regarded
aesthetics as their major field of specialization were rather
evenly distributed among the specialties within this field, but
slightly greater numbers had specialized in the various aspects of
theatre arts than in other branches of aesthetics.
A g e
Because of recent growth in some of the social science
professions, their m e m b e r s tend to be younger than those of
other social science fields and of the humanistic fields. The
median age of the statisticians and of the sociologists was only 37
years, but specialists in the humanities and in history had median
ages of more than 40 years (table A-4). As chart 1 shows, about 60
percent of the statisticians and sociologists, but only 35 percent
of the linguistics and literatures specialists, were under 40 years
of age in 1952.
Within each major field of specialization, there was significant
variation in the age composition of the groups in the detailed
specialties (table A-4). These variations reflect the effect of
social, economic, political, cultural, and other trends on the
development of each profession. For example, within anthropology
and archaeology, the specialty reported by the youngest personnel,
on the average, was social organization--a relatively new
application of the knowledge and methods of anthropology whereas
physical anthropology, a long-established specialty, had the oldest
personnel. A m o n g 1 the economists, those who specialized in
industry studies and statistics and econometrics were much younger,
on the average, than specialists in economic systems, business
finance, and population and social welfare. In political science,
persons who specialized in international law had a median age 10
years greater than those who had specialized in area studies or the
history of political ideas. In sociology, specialists in the newer
fields of social psychology and public opinion (including market
research) were the youngest and the specialists in family problems
were the oldest group. Historians who were specialists in modern
history had a median age 10 years younger than the mu c h smaller
group who were specialists in ancient history. The other social
scientists and humanists included in the survey did not show any
great variation in median ages by detailed field of
specialization.Educational Background
Extent of education.--In most of the social sciences and
humanities, the proportion of personnel with doctoral degrees
is
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1 4 -
greater than in man y other professional fields. 8 To a large
extent, undergraduate training in the social sciences and
humanities is regarded as preparation for meeting one's personal
and social responsibilities or cultural needs, rather than as
vocational training. However, it is possible to enter professional
employment in all of the fields--particularly statistics--without
graduate training.
The Ph. D. 9 was the degree held by the greatest number of
respondents in 7 of the 9 major fields of specialization included
in the survey. As previously stated, it is believed that the survey
included a disproportionately large number of persons with the
doctorate. It is estimated that about one-third of all professional
social scientists and humanists in the country had the Ph.D. in
1952, whereas the proportion among those surveyed was approximately
51 percent.
Great variation exists in the educational attainment of
personnel in the different fields of specialization. Nearly 70
percent of the linguistics and literatures specialists included in
the survey held the doctorate (chart 2 and table A - 5). This was a
muc h higher proportion than in any other field, except history
where the proportion was almost 64 percent. Only among the
statisticians and geographers were there more respondents with
master's degrees than with doctorates. And only in statistics was
the proportion of bachelor's degrees (38 percent) greater than the
proportion of doctorates (18 percent). The number of m e n and w o
m e n with other degrees, such as M.D.'s or LL. B. 's, was
insignificant in all fields except political science, where 6
percent of the respondents--chiefly those specializing in public
law--held LL. B. 's. The survey also included a few people in each
field of specialization who had attained professional status
without holding any college degree; most of these people had some
college training.
The educational attainments of persons in the detailed
specialties within each broad field of specializaton varied greatly
(tables A - 6 and A-7). For example, approximately 60 percent of
the
8 See Bureau of Labor Statistics Bulletin 1167, "Employment
Outlook in the Social Sciences," and U. S. Office of Education,
Annual Reports on Earned Degrees Conferred by Higher Educational
Institutions. U. S. Government Printing Office, Washington 25, D.
C.
9 The designation "Ph.D. " is used throughout this report to
refer to earned doctorates in science or education, as well as
those in philosophy.
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Chart 2. P R O P O R T I O N O F PH. D .S IS H I G H E S T A M O
N G H U M A N I S T S A N D H I S T O R I A N SPercent at Each
Educational Level, 1952
FIELD OF SPECIALIZATION
Linguistics and Literatures
H isto ry
Humanities (except Linguistics, etc.)
P e r c e n t
Anthropology and Archaeology
Sociology
H I G H E S T D E G R E E H E L D :
m i E mU N I1 E D ST A TE S D E P A R T M E N T O F L A B O R
BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS
P h . D . M a s t e r s B a c h e l o r s O t h e r o r
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economists whose specialty was either economic systems, money
and banking, or public finance had the doctorate, but only 14
percent of those who specialized in industry studies and 35 percent
of those who specialized in statistics and econometrics had this
degree. Similarly, in political science, over 60 percent of the
specialists in the history of political ideas and in comparative
government held the Ph.D. degree, but only 20 percent of the
personnel who specialized in public administration had the
doctorate. Such differences in educational level are due, in large
part, to the type of work performed by persons in each specialty.
For example, those specialties pertaining primarily to basic theory
are taught in colleges and universities where the doctorate is a
usual requirement for professional employment. On the other hand,
high educational attainment m a y not be a prerequisite for
positions in administrative or operational activities in applied
fields.
In all fields except anthropology, the majority of the surveyed
graduate students had already received their master's degrees and
were presumably working for their doctorates (table A-5). The
number of students included in the survey in the various fields
reflects to a large extent the policies of the different
professional associations in admitting students to membership.
Field of education. --In taking their highest degrees, a few
social scientists and humanists in all fields had majored in
subjects outside their current areas of specialization. However,
most of them held degrees in fields closely related to their
specialty. For example, some historians had taken their highest
degrees in language and literature, a sizable number of political
scientists had taken degrees in economics and history, some
geographers had degrees in geology, and a few people in every field
had majored in education and psychology. It is not suprising to
find that the statisticians took their degrees in the greatest
variety of subjects, since statistics is a tool which is applied
inmany subject-matter fields.
Even among the Ph.D. 's a few respondents had taken their
highest degrees in fields outside their current areas of
specialization, but the proportion was not nearly so great as among
the respondents with less formal training (table A - 8). For
example, among the historians, only about 5 percent of the Ph. D.
's had taken their highest degrees in subjects other than history,
but 12 percent of the masters, and 33 percent of the bachelors and
the respondents without college degrees, had majored in other
subjects.
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W o m e nW o m e n constituted more than a fifth of all the
survey re
spondents in art, aesthetics, anthropology and archaeology, and
linguistics and literatures (table 2). The proportion of w o m e n
was smallest (less than 10 percent) among the specialists in
Biblical literature, economics, political science, philosophy and
oriental studies.
Relatively fewer w o m e n than m e n in these professions hold
graduate degrees (table A-9). The Ph.D. was the degree most often
held by w o m e n in linguistics and literatures (60 percent),
history (53 percent), economics (43 percent), and anthropology and
archaeology (39 percent). However, in none of these fields was the
proportion with the doctorate as great among w o m e n as among
men. The master's degree was the one most frequently held by w o m
e n in geography, statistics, sociology, the humanities,
(except.linguistics and literatures), and political science. Only
in statistics and anthropology did more than a fourth of the w o m
e n have only the bachelor's degree.
A m o n g w o m e n graduate students the majority already had
master's degrees, but in anthropology and the humanities (except
linguistics and literatures) more than half the w o m e n students
had not yet attained a graduate degree (table A- 10).
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T a b l e 2 . F i e l d o f s p e c i a l i z a t i o n o f w o
m e n s o c i a l s c i e n t i s t s a n d h u m a n i s t sa n d
w o m e n g r a d u a t e s t u d e n t s , 1 9 5 2
F ie ld o f s p e c ia liz a t io n
S o c ia l s c ie n tis ts and hum anists G raduate students
Bothse x e s
W om en B othse x e s
W om enN um ber P e r c e n t N um ber P e r c e n t
A n th ro p o lo g y and a r c h a e o lo g y . . . . 751 177
23. 6 181 43 2 3 .8
E c o n o m i c s
...................................................... 3 ,8 2 7 234
6 .1 256 19 7 .4
G eogra p h y
...................................................... 903 166 1 8
.4 118 8 0 )
H is to r y
............................................................ 2, 562
326 1 2 .7 282 25 8 .9
P o lit ic a l s c i e n c e
........................................ 3 ,1 4 7 223 7. 1 349 25 7
.2
S o c i o l o g y
......................................................... 1 ,8 8 9
275 14. 6 321 62 19 .3
S t a t i s t i c s
......................................................... 1 ,4 0 6
178 1 2 .7 43 1 (*)
L in g u is t ic s and l i t e r a t u r e s ................. 4
,8 9 6 1 ,0 6 5 2 1 .8 385 71 1 8 .4
O th er h u m an ities ................................... 2 ,4
9 2 357 14 .3 227 33 1 4 .5A e s t h e t i c s
........................................... 73 20 2 7 .4 3 1 (MA r
t ......................................................... 574 170
29. 6 67 15 2 2 .4B ib lic a l lite ra tu re
........................... 609 22 3. 6 50 1 (MM u s ic o lo g y
.................... ................... 480 93 1 9 -4 48 9 i 1 )O
rien ta l s t u d i e s .............................. 151 7 r n 39
6 ( l )P h ilo so p h y
............................................ 605 45 7 .4 20 1
T o o few to com pu te p e r ce n t .1
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P A R T II. E M P L O Y M E N T AND EARNINGS
E M P L O Y M E N T
E m p loym en t Status
N e a r ly a ll the s o c ia l s c ie n tis ts and hum anists in
the su rvey had fu ll -t im e em p loym en t in 1952. L e s s than
3 p e rce n t w e re w ork in g p a rt tim e and le s s than 2 p e
rce n t w e re u n em ployed and seek ing w ork . H ow ev er, th
ese f ig u re s p ro b a b ly u n d ersta te the extent o f tota l
and p a rtia l u nem ploym ent in th ese p r o fe s s io n s as a w
h ole . A s p r e v io u s ly in d ica ted , m o s t o f the resp
on d en ts w e re m e m b e rs o f p r o fe s s io n a l s o c ie t
ie s , and a high p r o p o r t io n o f them w e re P h .D . 's .
Such p e r s o n s , g e n e ra lly , a re the m o r e s e cu re ly
e s ta b lish ed m e m b e rs o f th e ir p r o fe s s io n s .
U nem ploym ent am ong s o c ia l s c ie n tis ts has p ro b a b
ly in c r e a s e d s in ce 1952, p a r t icu la r ly in s p e c ia
lt ie s w h ere the F e d e r a l G overn m en t has b een a la r g
e s o u r ce o f em p loym en t. S ta tistic ian s and e co n o m
is ts have been the m o st s e r io u s ly a ffe c te d b y r e ce
n t re d u ction s in G overn m en t em p loym en t. Not on ly have
such r e d u c tion s re su lte d in u nem ploym ent am ong e x p e
r ie n ce d p r o fe s s io n a l w o r k e r s , but op p ortu n
ities fo r new ly tra in ed s o c ia l s c ie n tis ts to en ter G
overn m en t w o rk have been cu r ta ile d . O pportun ities fo r
new graduates to en ter the c o lle g e teach ing f ie ld have a ls
o b een lim ite d s in ce 1951 b e ca u s e o f the d e c lin e in
e n ro llm en ts as W orld W ar II v e tera n s co m p le te d th
eir t r a in in g .1 0
The u n em ployed grou p included in the su rv e y had a lo w e
r m ed ian age than the em p loyed resp on d en ts in a ll f ie ld
s (table A - 3), su ggestin g that in e x p e r ie n ce d graduates
fo rm e d a la r g e p a rt o f the group seek ing w ork .
F ie ld s o f E m p loym en t in R e la tio n to F ie ld s o f S
p e c ia liza tio n
If the em p loym en t h is to ry o f a re p re se n ta tiv e c r
o s s - s e c t io n o f c o l le g e grad u ates w ith tra in ing
in the s o c ia l s c ie n c e s and hum anities w e re tra ce d fr
o m the tim e they le ft c o l le g e , a high d e g r e e o f m
ovem en t out o f th ese d is c ip lin e s in to oth er f ie ld s o
f em p loym en t w ou ld undoubtedly b e shown. Th is study o f p r
o fe s s ion a l s o c ia l s c ie n tis ts and hum anists exc lu d
ed , b y d e fin ition ,
10 F o r a d is c u s s io n o f the em p loym en t ou tlook fo
r s o c ia l s c ie n tis ts see B u reau o f L a b or S ta tistics
B u lle tin 1167, E m p lo y m ent O utlook in the S ocia l S c ie
n ce s (1954).
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the m any students in these f ie ld s w ho, through w o rk e x p
e r ie n ce , have b e c o m e s p e c ia lis ts in o th er f ie ld
s . N e v e r th e le s s , the study show s an a p p re c ia b le
am ount o f m ovem en t out o f the s o c ia l s c i e n ce s and h
u m an ities , am ong p e o p le w ho s till r e g a rd th e m se
lv e s as s p e c ia lis ts in th ese f ie ld s . A p p ro x im a
te ly 10 p e r ce n t o f the em p lo y e d resp on d en ts w e re
w ork in g ou ts ide th ese p r o fe s s io n s at the tim e o f
the study. The la r g e s t nu m bers in th is grou p w e re e m p
loy ed in n o n p ro fe ss io n a l f ie ld s (tab les A - 11 and A
- 12); som e w e r e in p r o fe s s io n s other than the s o c ia
l s c ie n c e s and hum anit ie s , including the f ie ld o f ed u
cation (a d m in istra tion o r high s ch o o l tea ch in g ), and
a few w e re in the A rm e d F o r c e s p e r fo r m ing duties w
h ich did not u tilize th e ir s p e c ia liz e d t r a in in g .1
1
The p ro p o r t io n s o f resp on d en ts em p loyed in th e
ir f ie ld s o f sp e c ia liz a t io n , in o th er s o c ia l s c
ie n c e s o r h u m an ities , and in f ie ld s ou ts ide the s o
c ia l s c ie n ce s o r hum anities a re show n in table 3. S ta
tistic ian s and e co n o m is ts w e re em p loyed in th e ir r e
s p e c t iv e f ie ld s o f s p e c ia liz a t io n to a g re a te
r extent than oth er s o c ia l s c ie n t is ts , and a n th rop o
log is ts and a r c h a e o lo g is ts w e re le a s t o ften em p
loyed in th e ir f i r s t sp e c ia lty . A m ong the hum anis t s
, th ose w ho s p e c ia liz e d in lin g u is t ic s and lite ra
tu re s and m u s ico lo g y had the h igh est p ro p o r t io n s
a ls o em p loyed in those f ie ld s ; s p e c ia lis ts in or ien
ta l studies had a re la t iv e ly low p r o p o r tio n em p loyed
in th eir m a jo r f ie ld o f s p e c ia liz a t io n .
The resp on d en ts w ith d o c to ra te s w e re m o r e freq u
en tly e m p lo y e d in th e ir p r im a ry s p e c ia lt ie s
than w e re p e r s o n s w ith le s s a ca d e m ic tra in in g .
F o r exa m p le , 96 p e rce n t o f the P h . D . 's but on ly 85
p e rce n t o f the b a c h e lo r s who w e re s p e c ia lis ts
in g e o g raphy w e re em p loyed as g e o g ra p h e rs ; s im
ila r ly , 95 p e rce n t o f the P h . D . 's c o m p a re d w ith
76 p e rce n t o f the b a c h e lo r s s p e c ia liz in g in lin
g u is t ic s and lite ra tu re s w e re em p loyed in that f ie ld
(tab le A - 13). 12
The re m a in d er o f this r e p o r t is c o n ce rn e d w ith
em p loym en t in the s o c ia l s c ie n c e s and hum anities on
ly . R esp on d en ts who w e re w ork in g in other p r o fe s s
io n a l o r n o n p ro fe ss io n a l f ie ld s at the tim e o f
the su rv ey have th e r e fo r e been exclu d ed fr o m the
subsequent a n a lys is and tabu la tions. The c la s s if ic a t
io n o f s o c ia l s c ie n t is ts and hum anists u tilized in
the p re ce d in g se ct io n s o f this r e p o r t has b een b a
se d on f ie ld s o f s p e c ia liz a t io n but is h ere in a fte
r b a se d on fie ld o f em p loym en t. (See ch a rt 3, tab le A -
14, and a ll su cceed in g ch a rts and ta b le s .)
11 M e m b e rs o f the A rm e d F o r c e s w ho re p o rte d
th e ir m i l i ta ry a ssig n m en ts to b e in a p r o fe s s io
n a l f ie ld w e re c la s s i f ie d in the a p p ro p ria te sp
e c ia lty .
* * See a ls o table A - 14, w hich p re se n ts data on the re
la t io n ship betw een the em p loym en t sp e c ia lty and the su
b je ct in w h ich the resp on d en t m a jo re d fo r his h igh
est d e g re e .
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T a b le 3 . - - E m p l o y m e n t o f s o c i a l s c i e n t
i s t s a n d h u m a n i s t sb y f i e l d o f s p e c i a l i z
a t i o n , 1 9 5 2
Field of specialization
P e r c e n t e m p l o y e d -
TotalIn s a m e field as specialization
In other social science or
h u m a n i t y field
Outside social sciences or
humanitie s
Anthropology a n d archaeology . . 1 0 0 . 0 78. 7 7. 2 14.
1
E c o n o m i c s ......................... 1 0 0 . 0 91. 5 1 .
6 6.9
G e o g r a p h y ......................... 1 0 0 . 0 90. 0 1. 3
8.7
H i s t o r y ............................ 1 0 0 . 0 8 6 . 1 4.
4 9. 5
Political science ................ 1 0 0 . 0 87. 5 2 . 0 10.
5
S o c i o l o g y ........................... 1 0 0 . 0 8 6 . 1
2. 3 1 1 . 6
Statistics........................... 1 0 0 . 0 92. 5 1. 3 6 .
2
Linguistics an d literatures....... 1 0 0 . 0 93. 3 .7 6 . 0
Other humanities:
A e s t h e t i c s ....................... 1 0 0 . 0 85. 5 1 0
. 1 4.4
A r t .............................. 1 0 0 . 0 92. 1 .4 7. 5
Biblical liter a t u r e .............. 1 0 0 . 0 92. 2 5. 5 2.
3
M u s i c o l o g y ....................... 1 0 0 . 0 93. 0 1 .
8 5. 2
Oriental studies ................ 1 0 0 . 0 65. 3 22. 7 1 2 .
0
P h i l o s o p h y ....................... 1 0 0 . 0 88.4 6 . 3
5. 3
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T ype of E m p lo y e r
The m a jo r ity o f s o c ia l s c ie n tis ts and hum anists a
re e m p lo y e d in c o l le g e s and u n iv e r s it ie s . (See
ch a rt 3 and table A - 15 .) The p r o p o r t io n o f c o l le g
e fa cu lty m e m b e rs w as h igh est (93 p e r cen t) am ong the
resp on d en ts w ork in g in the f ie ld o f lin g u is t ic s and
lite r a tu r e s . A bout th re e -fo u r th s o f the h is to r
ia n s , s o c i o lo g is t s , and " o th e r " hum anists w e re
a ls o em p loyed in in stitu tion s o f h igh er lea rn in g . In
on ly two f ie ld s - - s t a t is t i c s and p o l i t ic a l s c
ie n c e - -w e r e m o r e than h a lf the resp on d en ts em p
loyed ou ts ide c o l le g e s and u n iv e rs it ie s .
The F e d e r a l G overn m en t is the secon d la r g e s t s o
u r ce o f em p loym en t fo r s o c ia l s c ie n t is ts . M ore
than a fou rth o f a ll the s ta tis t ic ia n s , p o lit ica l s
c ie n t is ts , e c o n o m is ts , and g e o g ra p h e rs in the
su rv ey w e re on F e d e r a l p a y r o lls in 1952. 13 In add
ition , State o r lo c a l gov ern m en ts em p loyed s ign ifica n
t p ro p o r t io n s o f the p o lit ic a l s c ie n tis ts (13 p
e r ce n t) , s ta tis tic ia n s (9 p e r ce n t) , and s o c io
lo g is t s (5 p e rce n t) . N on p rofit foundations including m
u seu m s w e re m a jo r s o u r ce s o f em p loym en t on ly fo
r an th ro p o lo g is ts and a r c h a e o lo g is ts . And sta
tis tic ia n s and e co n o m is ts w e r e the on ly g rou p s w
ith substantia l p ro p o r t io n s em p loyed in p r iv a te in d
u stry .
The im p orta n ce o f the P h . D . d e g re e fo r em p loym
en t in c o l le g e s and u n iv e rs it ie s is w e ll known. A m
on g the c o l le g e fa cu lty m e m b e r s in the su rv ey , the
p r o p o r t io n w ith d o c to ra te s w as o v e r h a lf in e
v e r y m a jo r f ie ld o f e m p lo y m e n t--ra n g in g fr o m
about 55 p e r ce n t o f the s ta tis tic ia n s and g e o g ra p
h e rs to 76 p e rce n t o f the h is to r ia n s (tab le A - 1 6 )
.1 4 In the F e d e ra l G overn m en t and p r i vate in d u stry
, h o w e v e r , le s s em p h asis is p la ce d on advan ced a ca
d e m ic tra in in g . F e w e r than 20 p e rce n t o f the G
overn m en t- e m p loy ed p o lit ic a l s c ie n t is ts , g e o
g ra p h e rs , and s ta tis tic ia n s held the d o c to ra te ,
and a p p ro x im a te ly 27 p e r ce n t o f the e c o n o m is ts
and 7 p e rce n t o f the s ta tis t ic ia n s em p loyed b y p r
iv a te in d u stry h eld that d e g r e e .
13 The p r o p o r t io n o f fe d e r a lly em p loyed s o c ia
l s c ie n tis ts in c lu d ed in the su rv e y ap p ea rs to b e
som ew hat lo w e r than fo r a ll s o c ia l s c ie n t is ts .
Data in B u reau o f L a b or S ta tistics B u lletin 1117, F e d e
ra l W h ite -C o lla r W o r k e r s - -T h e ir O ccu p ation s
and S a la r ie s , June 1951, show ed that about 30 p e r ce n t o
f the e s t im ated tota l num ber o f s o c ia l s c ie n tis ts w
e re em p loyed b y the F e d e r a l G overn m en t in 1951.
1 4 The p r o p o r t io n o f P h . D . *s m ay not b e as h
igh am ong a ll s o c ia l s c ie n tis ts and hum anists em p
loyed b y c o l le g e s as am ong th ose in th is study b e ca u s
e o f the s u r v e y 's r e la t iv e ly high c o v e r age o f P
h . D . 's .
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Chart 3. COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES ARE THE CHIEF SOURCE OF
EMPLOYMENT IN HUMANITIES AND MOST SOCIAL SCIENCES
Distribution by Principal Type of Employer, 1952
Percent
Linguistics History and Literatures
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF LABORBUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS
Sociology Humanities Anthro- Geography(except pology and
Linguistics, etc.) Archaeology
Economics PoliticalScience
Statist! cs
College or Govern- Private Nonprofit OtherUniversity mont
Industry Organization
Categories with 1% or loss not shown on chart
Source: Table A-15
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The d is tr ib u tion o f P h . D . *s b y type o f e m p lo y e
r (tab le A - 17) m a k es it c le a r that s o c ia l s c ie n tis
ts and hum anists at th is educa tion a l le v e l a re con cen tra
ted in c o l le g e s and u n iv e r s it ie s . In m o s t s p e c
ia lt ie s the m a jo r ity o f the m a s te rs w e re a ls o em p
loyed b y institu tion s o f h igher lea rn in g , but in s ta tis
t ics and p o lit ica l s c ie n ce the g re a te s t n u m bers o
f m a s te rs w e r e em p loyed b y the F e d e ra l G overnm ent.
R espon den ts w ithout graduate train ing w e re em p loyed ch ie
f ly b y the F e d e ra l G overn m en t and p r iv a te in du stry
.
In g e n e ra l, s o c ia l s c ie n tis ts and hum anists em p
loyed b y c o l le g e s o r u n iv e rs it ie s tend to b e o ld e
r than th ose em p loyed b y th e F e d e ra l G overn m en t, and
th ose w ork ing in p r iv a te in d u stry a re the you n gest o f
a ll (table A - 19). H ow ev er, w ide age d iffe re n tia ls ex is
te d am ong the va riou s grou p s o f s p e c ia lis ts in the sam
e type o f em p loym en t. F o r exa m p le , h is to r ia n s and
s p e c ia lis ts in l in g u is t ic s and lite ra tu re s who w e
re em p loyed in c o l le g e s and univ e r s it ie s had m ed ian
a ges o f 43 and 45 y e a rs , r e s p e c t iv e ly ,c o m p a re
d w ith 37 y e a rs fo r s ta tis tic ia n s and 39 y e a rs fo r a
n th rop o lo g is t s , p o lit ica l s c ie n t is ts , and s o c
io lo g is ts on c o l le g e fa cu lt ie s . S om e o f th ese age
d iffe r e n c e s m ay be a ccou n ted fo r b y the fa c t that a
g re a te r p ro p o r t io n o f the respon den ts in the f ie ld
s w ith the h igh est m ed ian a ges a ls o had th e ir d o c to ra
l d e g r e e s and so had spent m o r e t im e in a cqu ir in g th
e ir education . Such age v a r ia tions a ls o su ggest that f ie
ld s w ith the you n gest p e rso n n e l, on the a v e ra g e , a
re expanding m o r e ra p id ly than f ie ld s in w h ich the m e m
b e r s have h igh er m ed ian a g e s .
F u n ction P e r fo r m e d
The qu estion n a ire used in th is su rv ey con ta in ed the fo
llo w ing l is t o f 9 m a jo r typ es o f fu n ction s p e r fo r
m e d b y s o c ia l s c ie n t is ts and hum an ists: ( l ) r e s
e a r c h , f ie ld exp lora tion ; (2) p r o fe s s ion a l con su
lta tion ; (3) a d m in istra tion , m anagem ent; (4) o p e ra
tion a l a ct iv ity ; (5) teach in g ; (6) p r o fe s s io n a l w
ritin g and ed iting; (7) p r o fe s s io n a l l ib r a r y o r m
u seu m a ctiv ity ; (8) c r e a t iv e w ritin g , c r i t i c is
m ; (9) o th er .
T each ing w as the p r in c ip a l fu n ction o f m o s t resp
on d en ts in a ll f ie ld s ex cep t s ta tis t ics (ta b les A -
20 and A -2 1 ) . The p r o p o r tion engaged in teach ing w as h
igh est in lin g u is t ic s and l i t e r a tu res (95 p e rce n
t) and h is to ry (83 p e rce n t) . A lthough m o s t o f the te a
ch e rs w e re em p loyed b y c o lle g e s and u n iv e r s it ie
s , som e fr o m n e a r ly e v e r y f ie ld p a r t icu la r ly h
is to ry , geog ra p h y , and the h u m a n it ie s --w e re in o
th er edu cation a l institu tion s (h igh - s ch o o ls ) and a
few w e re em p loyed by n on p rofit o rga n iza tion s and the
govern m en t.
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R e s e a r c h w as the p r in c ip a l fu n ction o f s ta tis
tic ia n s (33 p e r cen t) and w as an im p ortan t a c t iv ity
fo r a n th rop o log is ts (29 p e r ce n t), e co n o m is ts (21
p e rce n t) , s o c io lo g is t s (19 p e r ce n t) , and g e o g
ra p h e rs (17 p e rce n t) . The la r g e s t n u m bers o f s ta
tis t ic ia n s , e co n o m is ts , and g e o g ra p h e rs
engaged in r e s e a r c h w o rk w e re em p lo y e d b y the F e
d e ra l G overn m en t. The a n th rop o log is ts and s o c i o
lo g is ts c a r r ie d on m o st o f th e ir r e s e a r c h in c
o l le g e s . A d m in is tra tiv e -m a n a g em en t fu n ction
s w e re p e r fo r m e d b y m o r e than 25 p e rce n t o f the s
ta tis tic ia n s and p o lit ica l s c ie n t is ts , and b y 10
to 15 p e rce n t o f the e co n o m is ts and s o c io lo g is t s
; e m p lo y e e s in th ese a c t iv it ie s w e re w ork in g ch
ie f ly fo r the F e d e r a l G overn m en t and p r iv a te in d
u stry . O peration a l a c t iv it ie s , c a r r ie d on m a in
ly in govern m en t a g e n c ie s , o ccu p ie d at le a s t 10 p
e rce n t o f the statis t ic ia n s , p o lit ica l s c ie n t is
ts , e c o n o m is ts , and " o th e r hum anis ts .
The kind o f w o rk p e r fo r m e d b y a s o c ia l s c ie n
tis t o r hum anis t is c lo s e ly re la te d to the am ount o f
fo rm a l tra in ing he has r e c e iv e d . In the p re se n t su
rv e y , the va st m a jo r ity o f p eop le engaged in teach ing
had a graduate d e g re e . R e s e a r c h a ls o w as c a r r ie
d out m o s t freq u en tly b y resp on d en ts w ith advanced d e
g r e e s . On the other h an d , in som e f ie ld s a d m in is
tra tiv e -m a n a g e m ent and op era tion a l a c t iv it ie s w
e re o ften p e r fo r m e d b y p e rso n s w ithout graduate tra
in in g .
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EARNINGS
M edian annual s a la r ie s fo r 1952 ranged fr o m $ 4 , 900
fo r the lin g u is t ic s and lite ra tu re s s p e c ia lis ts to
$ 6 ,8 0 0 fo r the s ta tis t ic ia n s in this s u r v e y .1 5 T
h ese f ig u re s r e fe r on ly to the re g u la r s a la r ie s o
f p e rso n s em p loyed fu ll t im e ; they exclu d e in com e fr
o m extra su m m er jo b s , con su lta tion , r o y a lt ie s o r
the lik e , as w e ll as a ll data f o r p a r t -t im e e m p lo y
e e s . M edian and qu a rtile s a la r ie s 16 fo r resp on d en
ts in ea ch fie ld o f em p loym en t w e re as fo l lo w s :
F ie ld o f em p loym en t
Annual s a la r ie s , 1952
M edian L o w e r U pper q u a rtile qu a rtile
A n th rop o log y and a rch a e o lo g y .E c o n o m i c s
.......................................G eogra p h y
...........................................H is to r y
.................................................P o l it ic a l s
c i e n c e . ..........................S o c i o l o g y
...........................................S t a t i s t i c s
...........................................L in g u is t ics and
lite ra tu re s . . . O ther h u m a n it ie s
..........................
$ 5 , 300 $ 4 ,2 0 0 $ 6 , 8006, 500 4 ,9 0 0 9, 0005, 100 4 ,2
0 0 6, 3005, 000 4 , 100 6 ,4 0 05 ,9 0 0 4 , 500 8 ,4 0 05, 100 4
, 000 6, 5006 ,8 0 0 5 ,2 0 0 8 ,7 0 04 ,9 0 0 3 ,9 0 0 6, 1005,
000 4, 000 6 ,4 0 0
B e ca u se o f the s u r v e y 's d isp ro p o r tio n a te ly
high co v e r a g e o f P h . D . 's and the fa c t that p r o fe s
s io n a l w o rk e r s w ith d o c to ra te s tend to ea rn m o r
e than th ose w ith le s s fo rm a l edu cation , the o v e r a ll
s a la ry f ig u r e s fo r the su rv e y resp on d en ts m ay som
ew hat o v e r state 1952 s a la ry le v e ls am ong s o c ia l s c
ie n tis ts and hum anists in
1 5 The sa la ry and in com e item s on the q u estion n a ire w
e re d esign ated as "o p tio n a l. " N e v e r th e le s s , m o
s t resp on d en ts (m o re than 80 p e rce n t o f th ose em p
loyed fu ll tim e) ch eck ed one o f the s p e c if ie d sa la ry b
ra ck e ts . See the fa c s im ile o f the qu estion n a ire at the
end o f th is r e p o r t fo r s a la ry b ra ck e ts l is te d
.
16 The m ed ian r e fe r s to the m id d le s a la ry le v e l ;
h a lf the resp on d en ts earn ed m o r e and ha lf earn ed le s s
than that am ount. The lo w e r q u a rtile is the value a bov e w
h ich th re e -fo u r th s o f the s a la r ie s f e l l and b e
low w hich o n e -fo u rth fe l l . The upper qu a rtile r e fe r s
to the value above w h ich o n e -fo u rth o f the s a la r ie s fe
l l and below w h ich th re e -fo u r th s fe l l . A ll s a la r
ie s a re rounded to the n e a re s t hundred.
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- 27 -
the country as a whole. On the other hand, it is believed that
the survey included too high a proportion of teachers in colleges
and universities--where salaries tend to be lower than those in
other types of employment and too low a proportion of persons in
Federal Government employment--where salaries tend to be somewhat
higher than in colleges.
A ge
The earn in gs o f p r o fe s s io n a l p e rso n n e l u su a
lly in c r e a s e w ith the age o r length o f e x p e r ie n ce o
f w o rk e r s up to o r n ear r e t i r e m en t age . T h is fa c
t i s , o f c o u r s e , w id e ly r e c o g n iz e d and has b e
e n am p ly d em on stra ted by su rveys o f v a rio u s p r o fe s
s io n s , inclu d in g the instant study. 17 H ow ev er, it should
b e em p h a sized that th ese data do not p e rm it de fin ite sta
tem ents a s to the p r o g r e s s io n o f s a la r ie s o f in d
iv id u a ls . W hat is show n in a c r o s s - s e c t io n , at
one point in t im e , o f the s a la r ie s o f p e r s o n s o f v
a ry ing age and th e r e fo r e w ith d iffe re n t am ounts o f e
x p e r ie n c e .
In n e a r ly e v e r y m a jo r s o c ia l s c ie n ce and hum
an istic f ie ld , the r is e in a v era g e s a la ry w as p e r s
is te n t up to the 50 -55 y e a r age grou p (table 4 ). The g re
a te s t r is e in earn in gs in m o s t f ie ld s o f em p loym en
t w as betw een the 3 0 -3 4 yea r age grou p and the 4 0 -4 4 yea
r age grou p , w h ere the d iffe r e n c e in m ed ian s a la r ie
s w as at le a s t $ 1, 200 in a ll f ie ld s e x ce p t g eog ra p
h y ($ 9 0 0 ). In p o lit ica l s c ie n ce and e c o n o m ic s ,
the d iffe r e n c e w as $ 2 ,6 0 0 and $ 2 ,9 0 0 , r e s p e c t
iv e ly . N e v e r th e le s s , it is ev ident that a m e r e in
c r e a s e in age o r length o f e x p e r ie n ce d oes not in su
re a substantial r is e in ea rn in g s . In som e f ie ld s , the
h igh est pa id fourth o f the resp on d en ts in the 30 -34 yea r
age grou p w e re a lm o s t a ll earn ing m o r e than the lo w e
st paid fou rth o f th ose 20 y e a rs o ld e r (ch a rt 4).
In e v e r y age grou p , the s a la r ie s o f in d iv id u a
ls v a r ie d w id e ly , but the ran ge in earn ings w as g re a
te s t am ong the o ld e r m e m b e rs o f each p r o fe s s io n
(ch a rt 4 and table A - 22). F o r exa m p le , the e co n o m is
ts in the 2 5 -2 9 yea r age grou p earn ed m o r e than $ 3 , 800
a y e a r in 3 out o f e v e r y 4 c a s e s , and the earn in gs o
f the to p -p a id fou rth began at $5 , 400; the range b etw een
th ese 2 f ig u r e s (the in te rq u a rtile range) w as $ 1 ,
600. F o r e co n o m is ts in the 55 -59 y e a r age g rou p , the
co rre sp o n d in g range w as m o r e than $ 3 ,6 0 0 ;
17 See, fo r exa m p le , M anpow er R e s o u r c e s in C h e
m is try and C h e m ica l E n g in eerin g , B u lletin 1132
(1953), B u reau o f L a b o r S ta tis t ics ; E m p loym en t, E
du cation , and E a rn in gs o f A m e r ican M en o f S c ie n ce
, B u lle tin 1027, (1951), op . c it .
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Reserve Bank of St. Louis
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Table 4|.Median annual salaries of social scientists and
humanists, by age group, 19521(FuH-HmA emoloyed)
Field of employmentUnder
25years
25-29years
30-34years
35-39years
40-44years
45-49years
50-54years
55-59years
60-64years
65-69years
Anthropology andarchaeology ...................... (2) $3,700
$4, 600 $4, 900 $5,800 $6,200 $7,400 $7,000 (2) (*>
Economics.............................. $4,000 4,600 5,200 6,
800 8*100 7,800 8,200 7, 900 $8,200 $7,800
Geography .............................. (2) 4,100 4, 800 4,900
5, 700 6, 100 6,200 5,900 6,300 (2)
History .................................... (*) 3,700 4,200
4,800 5,400 5,700 6,200 6,800 6, 500 6,200
Political science................... 3,900 4,300 4,800 6, 500
7,400 7,800 7, 900 7,800 9,200 7,800
Sociology................................. 3,300 4,000 4,500
5,200 5,800 5,900 6,200 6,100 6, 500 6,200
Statistics................................. 4,200 4,900 5,900
7,500 7, 800 8,000 9,100 8,700 (2) (2)Linguistics and
literatures......................... (a> 3,500 3,800 4,400
5,000 5,600 5,700 5, 600 5,800 5,700
Other humanities ................. (2) 3,600 4, 100 4,700 5,400
5,800 5,900 6,000 6,300 5,800
1 All median salaries rounded to the nearest hundred.2 Too few
cases to compute median*
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- 29 -
the h ighest pa id fou rth a ll earn ed o v e r $ 10, 000 and
the lo w e st pa id fou rth le s s than $ 6 ,4 0 0 . The range in
earn in gs am ong p e r son s in the sam e age grou p w as som ew
hat le s s in ce r ta in f ie ld s ( fo r exa m p le , lin g u is t
ic s and lite r a tu r e s , geog ra p h y , and s o c i o lo g y )
than in e c o n o m ic s . In a ll f ie ld s , h o w e v e r , the
d iffe r e n c e s w e r e w id e , show ing the g re a t in flu en
ce o f fa c to r s o th er than age and length o f e x p e r ie n
ce ( fo r exa m p le , edu cation and type o f em p lo y e r ) on
the s a la r ie s o f s o c ia l s c ie n tis ts and hum an
ists.
L e v e l o f E d u cation
S o c ia l s c ie n tis ts and hum anists w ith P h .D . 's earn
ed c o n s id e ra b ly m o r e , on the a v e ra g e , than m e m
b e rs o f th e ir p r o fe s s ion s w ith on ly m a s te r 's o r
b a c h e lo r 's d e g r e e s (table A -2 3 ) .In fo u r f i e ld
s - - e c o n o m ic s , s o c io lo g y , s ta t is t ic s , and g
e o g ra p h y --m e d ia n sa la r ie s w e re fr o m $ 1 ,500 to
$ 1 ,8 0 0 h igher fo r Ph . D. 's than fo r m a s te r s . It m ay
be s ig n ifica n t that th ese f ie ld s a re a ls o am ong th ose
w ith the lo w e st p ro p o r t io n s o f P h .D . 's . (See ch a
rt 2 .)
The re la t iv e ly high m ed ian s a la r ie s o f the resp on
d en ts w ith on ly b a c h e lo r 's d e g re e s and w ithout c o
l le g e d e g re e s a re und ou bted ly a ccou n ted f o r , in
la r g e p a rt , b y the fa c t that on ly unu su a lly s u c c e
s s fu l p e rso n s w ithout advanced c o l le g e d e g r e e s w
ould have been re a ch ed b y the su rvey . 18 It should a ls o be
noted that the grou p w ithout d e g r e e s had the h igh est m ed
ian age in e v e r y em p loym en t s p e c ia lty --s u g g e s t
in g that length o f e x p e r ie n c e can , to a c e r ta in
extent, be substitu ted fo r fo rm a l educa tion .
A s p r e v io u s ly noted , the P h .D . 's in the study w e
re a s o m e what o ld e r grou p than the m a s te rs and b a c h
e lo r s . T h e ir sa la ry advantage o v e r th eir le s s h igh
ly tra in ed c o lle a g u e s m ay th e re f o r e have b een due
in p a r t to th e ir g re a te r length o f e x p e r ie n ce ,
but the p r im a r y re a s o n a p p eared to be the h igh er le v
e l o f ed u ca tion . In m o s t f ie ld s o f em p loym en t the
P h .D . 's had h igher m e dian s a la r ie s than p e rso n s o f
co m p a ra b le age w ith le s s a ca d e m ic tra in ing (table A
- 24).
T ype o f E m p loy er
M edian annual s a la r ie s o f su rvey resp on d en ts em p
loyed by c o l le g e s and u n iv e rs it ie s in 1952 w e re
about $ 5 , 000 in each o f the s o c ia l s c ie n c e s and hum
anities (table A - 25). T h ese s a la r ie s a re co m p a ra b le
to th ose found in o th er su rv ey s o f c o l le g e p e r s o n
n e l. F o r exa m p le , a 1952 su rvey o f fa cu lty m e m b e rs
show ed a
x 8 See appendix B , S cope and M ethod o f S urvey .
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Reserve Bank of St. Louis
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- 3 0 -
Chart 4. ECONOMISTS, PO LITICAL SCIENTISTS, AND STATISTICIANS
HAD HIGHEST SA LA R Y LEV ELS
Median and Quartile Salaries by Age, 1952
T h o u s a n d s o f D o l l a r s
2 S A
o f D o lla r s
2 5 AO v e r
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF LABORBUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS
2 5 AO v e r
O v e r
S o u r c e : T a b le A - 2 2 .
Digitized for FRASER http://fraser.stlouisfed.org/ Federal
Reserve Bank of St. Louis
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- 3 1 -
Chart 4. (Continued) ECONOMISTS, PO LITICAL SCIENTISTS, AND
STATISTICIANSHAD HIGHEST SA LA R Y LEVELS
Median and Q uartile Salaries by Age, 1952T h o u s a n d s
T h o u s a n d s o f D o l l a r s
2 5 & O v o r
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF LABORBUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS
s >: T a b le A - 2 2
Digitized for FRASER http://fraser.stlouisfed.org/ Federal
Reserve Bank of St. Louis
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- 32 -
m ed ian s a la ry o f $ 5 , 167 fo r those em p loyed in 51 la
n d -g ra n t c o l le g e s and u n iv e r s it ie s , and $ 5 ,2
0 8 fo r th ose in 20 state u n iv e r s i t ie s .19 M edian
annual s a la r ie s o f g e o g ra p h e rs , h is to r ia n s ,
and hum anists em p loyed b y ed u cation a l institu tion s o th
er than c o lle g e s and u n iv e rs it ie s (p r im a r ily high
s ch o o ls ) w e r e about $ 4 , 000.
F e d e ra l e m p lo y e e s w ho resp on d ed to this su rv e
y had h igher s a la r ie s , on the a v e ra g e , than em p lo y
e e s o f c o l le g e s and univ e r s it ie s , and the s a la ry
d iffe r e n c e s am ong the v a riou s f ie ld s o f em p loym en
t w e re g r e a te r . H ighest m ed ian s a la r ie s w e re r e
c o r d e d fo r e co n o m is ts ($ 8 ,2 0 0 ) , p o lit ic a l s
c ie n tis ts ($ 7 ,8 0 0 ) , and s ta tis tic ia n s ($ 7 ,6 0 0 )
in F e d e ra l em p loym en t. H ow ever, in fo rm a tio n fr o m
oth er s o u r ce s su ggests that the grou p o f F ed e ra l e m p
lo y e e s resp on d in g to this su rv ey in clu d ed a d is p r o
p o r tionate num ber o f the h ig h e st-p a id w o rk e r s . 20
In June 1951, the a v e ra g e annual s a la r ie s o f F e d e ra
l G overn m en t e co n o m is ts ran ged fr o m $ 5 ,7 8 2 fo r la
b o r e co n o m is ts to $ 7 ,2 3 1 fo r f i s c a l e co n o m is
ts . F e d e ra l s ta tis tic ia n s a v era g ed $ 5 ,6 9 8 ; and
s o c ia l s c ie n c e s p e c ia lis ts in m ilita r y in te llig
e n ce r e s e a r c h and fo r e ig n a f fa ir s a v e ra g e d $
5 ,7 3 9 and $ 5 ,8 4 3 , r e s p e c t iv e ly .21 Though s a la r
ie s o f F e d e ra l w o rk e r s w e re in c re a s e d b y a p p
ro x im a te ly 10 p e r ce n t in July 1951, s a la r ie s o f p r
o fe s s io n a l e m p lo y e e s w e re s till c o n s id e ra b
ly be low the m ed ian s a la r ie s show n b y th is su rvey .
S o c ia l s c ie n tis ts em p loyed b y State and lo c a l
govern m en t a g e n c ie s had lo w e r s a la r ie s , on the a
v e ra g e , than e m p lo y e e s o f F e d e ra l a g e n c ie s
(table A -2 6 ) . E arn ings o f su rv e y resp on d en ts in o th
er types o f em p loym en t v a rie d g re a t ly b y f ie ld . F o
r e x a m p le , m ed ian sa la r ie s o f em p lo y e e s o f n on
p rofit o rg a n iza tion s v a r ie d fr o m about $ 4 , 500 fo r
hum anists and a n th rop o log is ts and a r c h a e o lo g is ts
to m o r e than $ 7 ,0 0 0 fo r e co n o m is ts . S im ila r ly ,
the m ed ian sa la ry fo r the few g e o g ra p h e rs re p o rtin
g em p loym en t in p r iv a te in d u stry w as $ 4 , 500, w h
erea s the r e la t iv e ly la rg e n u m bers o f e co n o m is ts
in such em p loym en t had a m ed ian sa la ry o f $8 , 100 and the
s ta tis t ic ia n s , $ 6 , 800.
19 U nited States O ffice o f E ducation , F a cu lty S a la r
ies in L an d -G ran t C o lle g e s and State U n iv e rs it ie s
, 1951-52 , C ir cu la r 358, G overn m en t P rin tin g O ffic e ,
W ashington , D . C . , 1952; see a ls o B u lletin , A m e r ica n
A s s o c ia t io n o f U n iv ers ity P r o f e s s o r s , W
inter 1951-52 , pp. 7 9 6 -8 0 2 .
20 See appendix B , S cope and M ethod o f S urvey .21 U. S. D
epartm ent o f L a b o r , B ureau o f L a b o r S ta tis tics
,
B u lletin 1117, F e d e ra l W h ite -C o lla r W o r k e rs ,
June 1951, G overn m en t P rin tin g O ffic e , W ashington 25, D
. C . , 1953.
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Reserve Bank of St. Louis
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- 3 3 -
M edian s a la r ie s d iffe r e d m a rk e d ly am ong the v a
rio u s types o f em p loym en t fo r resp on d en ts in the sam e
age grou p and at the sam e le v e l o f education . 22 Th is su gg
ests that the type o f o r ga n iza tion in w h ich a s o c ia l s
c ie n tis t o r hum anist is em p loyed is l ik e ly to have even
g re a te r e ffe c t on h is s a la ry than the length o f h is e
x p e r ie n ce o r the extent o f h is education . It should be s
tr e s s e d , h o w ev er , that s a la ry data p re se n te d in
th is r e p o r t do not show the w ide range o f earn in gs o f in
d iv id u a ls , n or do they fu lly r e f le c t the advantages o
r d isadvan tages o f the v a riou s types o f em p loym en t. D
esp ite the g e n e ra lly lo w e r s a la ry le v e ls in c o l le
g e s and u n iv e rs it ie s than in the F e d e ra l G overn m en
t o r p r iv a te in d u stry , e v e r y age and edu cation grou p
in clu ded so m e c o lle g e fa cu lty m e m b e rs w ith s a la r
ie s above th ose r e c e iv e d b y m any p e o p le o f co m p a
ra b le age and ed u cation w ork in g fo r o th er types o f e m p
lo y e rs . F u rth e rm o re , a ca d e m ic p o s it io n s o
ften p ro v id e p e rq u is ite s and op p ortu n ities fo r su p
p lem en tary earn in gs not found in G overn m en t o r .private
in d u stry . (See la te r se c t io n of th is r e p o r t on add
itiona l in c o m e .)
S a la r ie s o f W om en
W om en s o c ia l s c ie n tis ts and hum anists had lo w e r a
v e ra g e s a la r ie s than m en in e v e r y f ie ld o f em p
loym en t in 1952. M edian s a la r ie s fo r the w om en ranged fr
o m $ 4 , 000 f o r th ose em p loyed in the h u m an ities , o th
er than lin g u is t ic s and lite r a tu r e s , to $ 5 ,9 0 0 fo
r th ose in e c o n o m ic s ; m ed ian s a la r ie s fo r m en in
the sam e f ie ld s w e re $ 5 ,2 0 0 and $ 6 ,6 0 0 , r e s p e c
t iv e ly . The w id est s a la ry d iffe re n tia ls betw een the
tw o se x e s w e re in s ta t is t ic s , a n th rop o log y and a
rch a e o lo g y , and p o lit ica l s c ie n ce (tab le A -2 8 )
.
W om en a ls o earned le s s than m en at each le v e l o f
education (tab le A -2 7 ) . A lthough the w om en P h . D . 's w e
re a som e