IS HUSBANDS CLASS ENOUGH - CLASS LOCATION AND CLASS IDENTITY IN THE UNITED-STATES, SWEDEN, NORWAY, AND AUSTRALIA

Class analysis traditionally has focused on the position of men in the occupational system: Women have been ignored completely or classified according to the status of the male head of household. This approach implies that women derive their class identities from the class locati ons of their husbands. However recent research suggests that this ''co nventional '' view of class analysis is challenged by women's increasi ng independence from men. I address this issue using comparative data for the United States, Sweden, Norway, and Australia. I use a series o f logistic regression models to examine the relationship between husba nd's and wife's class locations and subjective class identifications. Results indicate that husband's class location is a significant predic tor of husband's and wife's class identifications. Education is also a key determinant of subjective class identity. There is no evidence of significant differences among countries in these patterns.