CORRELATES OF JOB STATUS AMONG INDIGENOUS NONPROFESSIONALS IN COMMUNITY ACTION PROGRAMS.

This article explores the relationship between high and low job status in community action programs (CAP) and the social backgrounds, job experiences, attitudes and perceptions of indigenous nonprofessionals. In recent years, sociologists and social workers have paid considerable attention to the use of indigenous personnel in a variety of social programs. One of the more popular suggestions, the proposal to develop anew careers" for the poor, recommends that the poor be provided with employment mobility through the acquisition of new skills, training, and education. Initial expectations were high that the new program to abolish poverty would, indeed, create new employment opportunities for the poor. However, most employment opportunities available to the poor were one-level jobs--jobs not very different from the old dead-end jobs previously available to this group. More recent cutbacks in funds to the local CAP's have necessitated curtailment of programming and, in some cases, forced lay-offs of poverty employees.