Social Inequality in Early Childhood Development in China

ABSTRACT Despite China's substantial economic advancements, social inequalities persist, particularly in early childhood development, where disparities in access to resources and opportunities continue to shape developmental outcomes. This review advances a structure–mechanism–policy analytical framework grounded in intersectionality and ecological systems theory to synthesize current research on inequality in early childhood development in China. It highlights how structural disadvantages, particularly rural hukou status, regional underdevelopment, and low socioeconomic background, intersect to compound developmental risks across domains such as health, cognition, and socio‐emotional well‐being. These disadvantages operate through multiple, interlinked mechanisms, including disparities in nutrition, healthcare, caregiving environments, early education, and socio‐cultural norms, embedded across individual, familial, institutional, and societal systems. We conclude that effectively addressing early childhood development inequality in China requires integrative theoretical tools, developmentally rich and nationally representative data infrastructures, and equity‐oriented policies designed to address the intersecting vulnerabilities and the structural constraints embedded from the earliest stages of life.