Egalitarianism is not equality: Extending process-based approaches through culture, identity, and power

Abstract This commentary supports the shift from outcome-based to process-based understandings of egalitarianism. However, it argues that focusing on intragroup mechanisms alone is insufficient. Drawing on social identity theory, cultural orientation, and structural inequality, it suggests that intergroup dynamics and broader power structures constrain egalitarian outcomes, helping explain why processes that regulate inequality rarely produce equality in more complex societies.