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Do Cross-National Differences in Household Standard of Living Mobility Parallel Cross-National Differences in Occupational Mobility? A Comparison of Germany,Sweden and the USA
While ongoing debates in sociology exist over whether the family or the individual is the correct conceptual `unit' for stratification research, both sides to this debate have generally relied on individual-level occupation to operationalize social position. However, because industrial nations differ in the extent of labour force participation by women, stability of working hours, the stability of households and in state tax and transfer policies, comparative analysis of occupational mobility may not accurately describe cross-national differences in household mobility in living standards over the life course. Studies of standard of living mobility in the USA, Germany and Sweden show greater similarity between the countries than do studies of male occupational mobility.
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