Social Stratification and the Family in Mass Society

Abstract

Virtually all theories of social stratification treat the nuclear family as a solidary unit the members of which share roughly the same rank in the social class system. It is further assumed by many that the best index (or for some, the only index) of family rank is the husband's occupation. The working wife is seldom seen as making contributions in this regard. The present paper presents an analysis of data from the 1960 U.S. Census which suggest that these assumptions are empirically inadequate. The high degree of role differentiation and role insulation characteristic of the mass society prompts a modification of these postulates. Further, the widespread occurrence of husband-wife, differentials in occupational prestige suggests that families might profitably be studied from the perspective of status crystallization.