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Explanations of How Love Crosses Class Lines: Cultural Complements and the Case of Cross-Class Marriages

Publication ,  Journal Article
Streib, J
Published in: Sociological Forum
March 1, 2015

Sociologists know little about how actors explain their attraction to a partner who grew up in a different social class or why their accounts are likely. This is problematic as one form of social class heterophily is relatively common-heterophily by class origin. Drawing upon data from interviews with college-educated respondents in heterophilous marriages by class origin (n = 60) as well as interviews with college-educated respondents in homophilous marriages by class origin (n = 20), this article shows that respondents in heterophilous and homophilous marriages say that they appreciate their spouse for different reasons. Whereas actors in homophilous relationships by class origin explain their appreciation for their spouse in terms of cultural similarities, respondents in heterophilous marriages by class origin explain their appreciation of their spouse in terms of "cultural complements"-the obverse of the dispositions they dislike in themselves and attribute to their own upbringing. The article theorizes that accounts of cultural complements are enabled by the social organization of culture by class.

Duke Scholars

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Published In

Sociological Forum

DOI

EISSN

1573-7861

ISSN

0884-8971

Publication Date

March 1, 2015

Volume

30

Issue

1

Start / End Page

18 / 39

Related Subject Headings

  • Sociology
  • 4410 Sociology
  • 1608 Sociology
 

Citation

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ICMJE
MLA
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Streib, J. (2015). Explanations of How Love Crosses Class Lines: Cultural Complements and the Case of Cross-Class Marriages. Sociological Forum, 30(1), 18–39. https://doi.org/10.1111/socf.12143
Streib, J. “Explanations of How Love Crosses Class Lines: Cultural Complements and the Case of Cross-Class Marriages.” Sociological Forum 30, no. 1 (March 1, 2015): 18–39. https://doi.org/10.1111/socf.12143.
Streib, J. “Explanations of How Love Crosses Class Lines: Cultural Complements and the Case of Cross-Class Marriages.” Sociological Forum, vol. 30, no. 1, Mar. 2015, pp. 18–39. Scopus, doi:10.1111/socf.12143.
Journal cover image

Published In

Sociological Forum

DOI

EISSN

1573-7861

ISSN

0884-8971

Publication Date

March 1, 2015

Volume

30

Issue

1

Start / End Page

18 / 39

Related Subject Headings

  • Sociology
  • 4410 Sociology
  • 1608 Sociology