Middle-Class Incomes, Working-Class Hearts

Abstract

Studies of middle-class marriages dominate sociological findings. Studies of marital patterns at the blue-collar level are less prominent. A neglected area entirely is that of blue-collar marital patterns in middle-class income and residential settings. This study examines a friendship nucleus of five couples, summarizing case studies of each to show how blue-collar patterns are maintained against the resocializing influence of middle-class income and residence.