Growing up in an age of economic inequality: A social-cognitive developmental framework.

Authors

Eddie Brummelman, Katherine McAuliffe, Jamie Amemiya

Published in

Advances in child development and behavior. Volume 71. Pages 243-278. Epub Aug 18, 2026.

Abstract

Economic inequality has reached extreme levels worldwide, and children will bear its burden. How do children perceive and explain economic inequality? And how do these perceptions and explanations, in turn, shape their development? We address these questions by proposing an integrative social-cognitive developmental framework. According to the framework, when children enter a new context, they consider a series of questions: (1) Is there inequality? (2) What causes inequality? (3) What does inequality say about me? (4) What does inequality say about us? (5) And do I address inequality? We suggest that children's perceptions and explanations of economic inequality-above and beyond exposure to the inequality in itself-have profound consequences for mental health, social relationships, motivation, and egalitarianism (e.g., whether children rectify or perpetuate inequality). Children's perceptions and explanations, then, might serve as levers for intervention to help children navigate the current age of inequality.

PMID:
42716664
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 10 Sep 2026.

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