Similar views in separate ways: George Kelly and Pierre Bourdieu on occupational conceptualisations

Two different approaches that have dealt with the question of occupational conceptualisations and given rise to the same methods of data collection are discussed: one the sociological theory of Frenchman Pierre Bourdieu and the other American George Kelly's theory of psychology. Each approach is seemingly unaware of the other, probably because of linguistic and disciplinary barriers. It is argued that the approaches may fruitfully be combined to clarify social differences in occupational cognition. A short empirical demonstration is carried out, in which persistently observed sex differences in occupational construct systems are considered in terms of gender, habitat, social class and habitus.