Class Identification among Working Wives: Educational Attainment and Union Membership, but Not Occupational Prestige

Abstract

Past research has suggested that the occupational attainment of working wives influences their perception of their social class membership. However, several correlates of occupational attainment, such as education, age, race, and union membership, which may have independent effects on class identification, were not controlled in earlier studies. The present study utilized data from three national surveys and included previously omitted variables in the analyses to show that working wives' educational attainment and union membership, but not their occupational attainment, influenced their class identification.