Is Misrecognition Recognised? Classed Perceptions of Occupational Status

Sociological work commonly assumes that people across the class hierarchy tacitly accept, or misrecognise, an occupational status hierarchy. In this article we interrogate this drawing on unique nationally representative Norwegian survey data (N = 4235). We find that people in all class positions do indeed perceive a clear occupational status hierarchy, although working-class respondents attribute higher average status scores to working-class occupations. Significantly, this status order is maintained even when respondents assess the status occupations ought to have – albeit with a significantly more compressed status hierarchy. Finally, we find little evidence that those in different class positions use different criteria to evaluate status. These results indicate that people do not dispute existing status hierarchies, or even their normative basis, even when this positions them lower in terms of social esteem. We argue this provides support for Bourdieu’s assertion that class domination occurs via a ‘doxic naturalisation’ of the status order.