How children perceive economic inequality. Results from a drawings’ analysis with 7/8-year-olds
Résumé
What does being rich or poor mean when you are 7/8 year old? Where does economic inequality come from? Is wealth a sign of happiness or moral qualities? Children's perceptions of economic inequality involve moral representations of wealth and poverty, a definition of what « a good life » means, and political judgments about the social order. This paper aims to draft a typology of these representations; shed light on what they owe to children's class, gender, and race; and finally uncover the concrete socialization processes (children's practices regarding money management, their parents’ educational practices, and meritocratic discourses). The paper is based on drawings made by 7/8-year-olds I asked to represent a rich and a poor person, the ensuing discussions we had, as well as on interviews with their parents.