This book makes a significant contribution towards understanding the new class structures of post-industrial societies, and the changing processes of social stratification and mobility. Drawing together comparative research on the dynamics of social stratification in a number of key Western societies, the authors develop a framework for the analysis of post-industrial class formation. They demonstrate the central importance of the institutional bases of individual countries - welfare states, labour markets, and education systems - for understanding social stratification. They illustrate the significance of the relations between the welfare state and the household, and the critical interface between gender and class. Case studies of the USA, the UK, Canada, Germany, Norway and Sweden examine the differing application of these ideas in individual welfare states. Connecting issues of welfare, stratification and political economy, the book will be essential reading for lecturers and students in sociology, political science, social policy and related subjects.