“There's no need for that at this age:” White parents' approaches to and avoidance of discussions of inequality with early adolescents

Abstract

Many White Americans believe inequality is due to controllable causes, such as individual effort or good choices, and these beliefs are linked to the perpetuation of inequality. The current research examines the intergenerational transmission of beliefs about inequality from parents to adolescents. We collected data from a sample of 220 White American parents of 11–13-year-olds and examined how they would explain wealth and racial inequality to their adolescents, as well as how often they have inequality-relevant discussions with their adolescents in everyday life. In their hypothetical explanations, parents tended to attribute wealth and racial disparities to factors beyond individual control, except when explaining their own inheritance. Additionally, they made similar attributions when considering both wealth and racial inequality. We also found that conservative parents were more likely to provide controllable explanations for inequality than liberal parents, and parents who identified as a sexual minority were more likely to provide uncontrollable explanations for inequality than heterosexual parents. In contrast, when reporting their real-life conversations with adolescents, more parents discussed the value of hard work as compared to structural barriers to inequality and racial disparities. Many parents rationalized their decision not to discuss these issues with their children, citing explanations such as their child's age or the topic not coming up. In conclusion, despite some parents' preference for using uncontrollable explanations for inequality in hypothetical discussions, parents may hesitate to discuss these explanations in everyday life.