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Since research on sex differences in occupational attainment suggests that working men and women attain essentially the same mean level of occupational attainment and do so through quite similar processes, the censoring problem as a potential source of bias in estimating equations for these comparative occupational attainments is investigated. (The censoring problem is defined as a sampling problem in that the sample of working women contains an overrepresentation of successful women, since women who can afford not to work will stay out of the labor force unless they find a job commensurate with their education.) After reviewing and rejecting some alternatives that could correct this problem, a model (developed from an extension of Heckman's set of equations that relate to women's occupational characteristics) is presented for obtaining the structural parameters for the whole female population by accounting for the censoring problem. The censoring problem was found to be minimal and not a reasonable explanation for the apparent similarities between men and women in the process of occupational attainment. It was concluded that before accepting the finding of sexual equality in occupational rewards, the following possibilities should be explored: (1) That the model is misspecified and if certain variables (for example, the status of first job) were included, the process of occupational attainment for the sexes would differ, and (2) that certain dimensions of sexual inequality in occupational rewards are not being tapped by the concept, occupational status. (TA)

Using a model of educational attainment modified to take the Mexican-American experience into account, data from the 1979 National Longitudinal Study were analyzed in an attempt to identify factors important to high school graduation for Mexican-Americans and Whites. Findings show that, among Whites, the general factor of family background--especially parental education--appears to be the major determinant of educational attainment. Also, those White students with foreign-born fathers finish high school more frequently and those with either parent foreign born enter college more frequently. Positive school effects in this group include higher teacher-student ratios and private school attendance, with the latter affecting college attendance as well as high school completion. On the negative side, Whites stay in school a shorter time and finish high school less often when Blacks and Hispanics are present. For Mexican Americans, general family background factors are also important: large family size and low parental education are related to poor school attendance and to delay, while mother's education significantly increases the likelihood of high school completion. The foreign-born are less likely to be in school and more likely to be delayed. However, having a foreign-born mother has a positive effect on educational attainment among Mexican American youth. No patterns emerge from school and social environment measures. (CMG)