Have de-industrialization, expanding services and occupational upgrading put an end to class divisions? Drawing on extensive empirical research, this book adds new insights to the debate about the end of class and shows that Western European societies remain decidedly stratified with respect to material advantages and citizenship rights. Well grounded in theory, it offers a highly original account of today's social stratification and presents novel findings about working conditions, political preferences and pension coverage of different classes in contemporary Britain, Germany, Sweden and Switzerland.

非工业化、服务扩展和职业升级是否已经结束了阶级分化？在广泛的实证研究基础上，本书为关于阶级终结的辩论提供了新的见解，并表明西欧社会在物质优势和公民权利方面仍然存在明显的分层。本书以理论为基础，对当今的社会分层进行了高度原创性的描述，并提出了关于当代英国、德国、瑞典和瑞士不同阶层的工作条件、政治偏好和养老金覆盖面的新发现。