Class, gender, and the family unit: A dynamic model of stratification and class politics

One of the most controversial issues in the literature on class and gender has been how to understand the class positions of dual earner couples. However, a central issue in this debate is, in fact, not testable using typical sample surveys: there is no way to assess if spouses who have different objective class positions also have different subjective class affinities. We use a large sample of British dual earner couples to address this for the first time. Based on our analysis, we have six conclusions: (1) Most couples agree on their class identification and on class politics; (2) this family class effect is not due to common consumption patterns; (3) cross-class couples disagree no more often than same-class couples, undermining the individualistic perspective; (4) husbands are more influenced by their wives' class of origin than by her current class position, with wives drawing more on their husbands' current jobs; (5) the dynamic model of class provides a better fit than the structural model; and (6) "individuals in families" are the most appropriate unit of class analysis.