Because the American population is amassed from many ethnic and racial origins, sociological investigation into our stratification system requires inclusion of information on all Americans, particularly when studying labor force activity which determines our life chances. Unfortunately, due to lack of data, American Indians are frequently left out of stratification research This study seeks to broaden our sociological understanding of social stratification in the United States, then, by examining the labor force participation of American Indians at the close of the Twentieth Century. Theoretically, the scope of investigation is expanded by drawing on the concept of institutional discrimination rather than using customary assimilation or internal colonial models. Methodologically, the investigation departs from previous research by employing Duncan's SEI scores to represent occupation The study asks: (1) If the relationship between occupational prestige and selected predictor variables differ for Indians and non-Indians? (2) Whether urban and reservation Indians demonstrate occupational differences? and (3) What part migration, which is closely associated with Indian labor market participation, currently plays in the lives of American Indians? Data used in this study are obtained from the 1980 and 1990 Census, most notably the 1980 Public Microdata Use 5% Sample, and the 1980 American Indian Supplement The results show the interpretational problems that can arise when using abstract concepts like institutions and discrimination. Major findings indicate that both urban and reservation Indians have lower occupational prestige than non-Indians, but that the causes of low occupational prestige differ. Low prestige is the result of low returns to education in cities, but is caused by low human capital on reservations. The reservation also shows evidence of a class system which favors married couples and men. Finally, in regard to migration, findings demonstrate that Indians are no more likely than whites to permanently migrate to cities, and that migrants who remain in cities have much different social characteristics (higher human capital) than those who do not. The suggestion is made that Indians who obtain jobs stay, while those who cannot find work return home. Finally, recommendations for changes in policy are offered
