It is argued that attempts to describe the stress magnetization behavior of ferromagnetic materials have, in general, relied upon unsubstantiated assumptions regarding the distribution of domains and the relative motion of domain walls under the combined influences of applied field and mechanical stress. An empirical description of stress-induced magnetization is presented as a practical extension of the Jiles-Atherton model of ferromagnetic hysteresis. It permits a semiquantitative description of the stress magnetization characteristics of ferromagnetic materials and highlights the profound influence of previous magnetic history. It is concluded that measuring the B/H characteristics of a material as a function of stress and invoking the Jiles-Atherton theory of ferromagnetism could provide a computational basis for predicting the magnetic behavior of complex structures under mechanical stress. >