The coordination between opportunity equality and procedural consistency in the social inequality contexts: evidence from middle childhood.

Due to disparities in family socioeconomic background and resources, equal procedures and standards for individuals from different social classes in society may always lead to unequal opportunities. This study examines whether children value equal opportunity over equal procedure when the two cannot both be achieved in contexts of social inequality. A total of 373 Chinese children aged 8-11 (167 girls, 206 boys) evaluated the fairness of two situations: an equal-procedure condition in which children from different resource backgrounds were treated identically despite unequal opportunities, and an equal-opportunity condition in which the procedure was adjusted to favor children from disadvantaged backgrounds to compensate for unequal opportunities. They were also asked whether they would adjust the procedure to favor children from disadvantaged backgrounds. Among 8- to 11-year-old children, younger children judged adjusting the procedure to benefit the disadvantaged group as fairer than maintaining an equal procedure and were more willing to do so, whereas this tendency decreased with age. For 11-year-old children, explicit assurance that the proposed adjustment would effectively ensure equal opportunity increased both fairness judgments of the equal opportunity condition and willingness to adjust the procedure. This research reveals children's preference for equal opportunities and their willingness to support compensatory policies for those with fewer opportunities. These findings have implications for promoting social equality of opportunity.