Egalitarianism: Definition, Ideas, and Types

Egalitarianism: Definition, Ideas, and Types

Key takeaways
* Egalitarianism is the belief that people are fundamentally equal and deserve equal treatment and opportunities.
* It applies across social, legal, political, and economic domains.
* Economic egalitarianism focuses on reducing wealth and income gaps; legal egalitarianism focuses on equal application of the law.
* Egalitarian ideas inform—but are not identical to—systems like socialism; they also intersect with movements such as feminism.

What is egalitarianism?

Egalitarianism is a philosophical stance that emphasizes equality of status, rights, and opportunities for all people regardless of gender, race, religion, socioeconomic status, or political belief. It can be applied as:
* a moral claim (everyone deserves equal respect and consideration),
* a legal principle (laws should apply equally), and
* an economic objective (reducing or eliminating wealth and income inequality).

Core principles

• Equal moral worth: every person merits equal basic respect and consideration.
• Equal legal standing: laws and rights should be applied without favoritism.
• Equal opportunity or outcome (varying emphases): some forms prioritize equal starting conditions, others aim for more equal results.

Types of egalitarianism

Economic egalitarianism
* Advocates equal access to wealth-generating opportunities—employment, entrepreneurship, capital, education—so people can achieve similar material living standards.
* Underpins many socialist and Marxist critiques of unequal wealth distribution.
* Practical constraints in market economies include unequal starting capital, job availability, inflation, and structural legal/economic barriers.

Legal egalitarianism
* Holds that everyone should be subject to the same laws and legal protections, without special privileges for particular groups.

Moral egalitarianism
* Emphasizes equal respect and concern for all humans and supports universal human rights. Definitions of fairness can vary, which complicates implementation.

Political egalitarianism
* Centers on equal political power and participation—democratic governance, equal voting rights, and fair access to political processes.

Racial and gender egalitarianism
* Racial egalitarianism calls for equal treatment and respect across races and ethnicities.
* Gender egalitarianism advocates equal rights, responsibilities, and opportunities regardless of gender, rejecting rigid, gender‑specific roles.

How egalitarianism relates to other concepts

Egalitarianism vs. socialism
* Egalitarianism is a principle or goal (equality). Socialism is an economic and political system offering specific mechanisms—public ownership, redistribution, regulation—to pursue greater economic equality. They overlap but are not the same.

Equality vs. equity
* Equality: everyone receives the same resources or treatment.
* Equity: resources and support are distributed based on individual needs to achieve more equal outcomes.

Egalitarianism vs. feminism
* Feminism focuses on eliminating gender-based discrimination and achieving gender equality. Egalitarianism is broader, concerned with equality across multiple dimensions (gender, race, class, etc.). Feminism can be seen as a movement within the broader egalitarian agenda.

What does an egalitarian society look like?

An egalitarian society treats people as equals in law and aims to provide broadly equal opportunities and reduced economic stratification. No society is perfectly egalitarian; many countries combine egalitarian policies (universal healthcare, social safety nets, strong labor protections) with market institutions. In measures of income or wealth inequality, some European countries show relatively low disparities.

Conclusion

Egalitarianism is a foundational idea about human equality that influences moral theory, law, politics, and economic thought. Different forms emphasize different remedies—laws that apply equally, political enfranchisement, or economic policies to narrow wealth gaps—but all share the core commitment that people should be treated as equals in dignity, rights, or opportunity.