“The ball is in his court. It’s up to him”: Parental communication about meritocracy.

= 44.1 years; 50% women; 26% Asian; 26% Black; 9% Latinx; 38% white; 44% working class; 6% lower middle class; 38% middle class; 12% upper middle class). Results indicate that all parents incorporated aspects of meritocracy, adhering to individualist views of economic success. Many also resisted dominant narratives such as materialism. Far less frequent was endorsement of a counter narrative to meritocracy (i.e., structural dimensions of social class). (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).