Equality of opportunity
Equality of opportunity refers to the principle that individuals should have the same chances to compete for desirable positions without discrimination based on race, sex, or socioeconomic background. This concept emphasizes that these factors should not negatively impact a person’s potential for economic success or hinder their access to education, which is critical for developing abilities. Historically, movements in the mid-20th century, such as the landmark Supreme Court case Brown v. Board of Education, recognized the systemic inequalities present in American society and aimed to correct them through judicial and legislative means. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 and subsequent affirmative action programs were established to enhance opportunities for women and minorities, requiring proactive measures to recruit and promote underrepresented groups. While these initiatives have been debated, with critics arguing they may disadvantage other groups, supporters assert they are necessary to level the playing field. Additionally, measures have been introduced to improve opportunities for individuals with disabilities, although economic inequality remains a less emphasized issue. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) plays a significant role in enforcing workplace equality laws, ensuring that progress continues toward achieving true equality of opportunity for all.
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Equality of opportunity
Minimally, equality of opportunity involves a situation in which individuals are not excluded from competing for desirable positions because of their race, sex, or class background. More broadly, this ideal of justice requires that race, sex, and socioeconomic background do not negatively influence one’s chances for economic success. Thus, equality of opportunity calls for hiring processes, including recruitment and screening practices, free of discrimination against minorities and women. To make the competitive race for desirable positions fair, it is also necessary that men and women, people of different races, and the economically advantaged and disadvantaged all have equal educational opportunities for developing their abilities. The same applies to individuals with visual impairments and those with physical disabilities.
During the 1950s and 1960s, it became widely acknowledged that American society did not offer equal opportunity to all its citizens, and judicial and legislative action was undertaken to correct this situation. In Brown v. Board of Education (1954), the Supreme Court mandated racial integration in public schools, arguing that segregated schools deprive minority children of equal educational opportunities. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits discrimination in employment. During the 1970s the federal government initiated affirmative action programs, requiring that employers not only refrain from intentional discrimination but also actively recruit women and minorities for underrepresented positions and eliminate bias in job criteria. These programs might require that qualified minorities or women are hired or promoted instead of equally or seemingly more qualified White males. Critics view these programs as violating the equality of opportunity of White males and of the population in general; their defenders maintain that such programs only eliminate the undeserved competitive advantage that White males have acquired because they are not subject to institutional discrimination, as minorities and women are. Critics succeeded during the 1980s in curtailing but not eliminating affirmative action programs.
Since the 1960s, various laws have been adopted that improve the educational and job opportunities of individuals with physical impairments. Much less political attention has been given to addressing inequality of opportunity caused by economic poverty as such. Formed in 1965, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) enforces and administers laws concerning equal opportunities in the workplace based primarily on the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Bibliography
Davenport, David, and Gordon Lloyd. Equality of Opportunity: A Century of Debate. Hoover Institution Press, Stanford U, 2023.
Fleurbaey, Marc, and François Maniquet. Equality of Opportunity: The Economics of Responsibility. World Scientific, 2012.
Lazin, Fred, et al., editors. Higher Education and Equality of Opportunities: Cross-National Perspectives. Lexington, 2010.
Sardoč, Mitja. Handbook of Equality of Opportunity. Springer International Publishing AG, 2024.
Segall, Shlomi. Equality and Opportunity. Oxford UP, 2013.