Religion and occupational class in Northern Ireland

Abstract

The author constructs economic profiles of Protestants and Catholics based upon an examination of occupational and, to a lesser extent, industrial characteristics. In this task the Hall-Jones scale is used as a guide to classify more than two hundred occupational groupings. The religious composition of certain significant occupations are also examined in more detail in order to illustrate salient differences between the two groups. In particular, major variances between Protestants and Catholics, both at the manual and non-manual level, are highlighted and compared. Previous studies of Northern Ireland have frequently attributed the disunity of the working class to the prevalence of politico-religious antagonisms, giving minimal attention to possible occupational differences. This article provides evidence which might support an additional explanation for the failure of class organisations to bridge the religious divide: prominent occupational differences reinforced the religious cleavage thereby providing an added barrier to reconciliation.