Equal Opportunity

Equal opportunity is a descriptive term for an approach intended to give equal access to a certain social environment, or to ensure people are not specifically excluded from participating in activities such as education, employment, or health care on the basis of immutable traits. This is inherent in the term EOE/M/F/D/V, which means Equal Opportunity Employer / Male / Female / Disabled / Veteran. Equal opportunity practices include measures taken by organizations to ensure fairness in the employment process.

Equal opportunity practices that are race-blind or gender-blind may be distinguished from practices that involve or require affirmative action or reverse discrimination. The United States federal government and various state and local governments require affirmative action in terms of governmental hiring and contracting; many other countries make such action illegal. Executive 11246 requires any group or company doing business with or receiving money from the government to have an equal oppourtunity for all workers, including an affirmative action plan. This has been debated because many feel affirmative action actually causes an inequal opporttunity.

The method of providing equal opportunity is often a subject of controversy, as is the means by which to measure the success or failure of equal opportunity policies. Opportunity itself is often difficult - if not impossible - to accurately measure. Thus, in practice, equal opportunity is said to exist when people with similar abilities reach similar results (equality of outcome) after doing a similar amount of work. Indeed, equal opportunity and equality of outcome are often seen as complimentary.

The method of providing equal opportunity is often a subject of controversy, as is the means by which to measure the success or failure of equal opportunity policies. Opportunity itself is often difficult - if not impossible - to accurately measure. Thus, in practice, equal opportunity is said to exist when people with similar abilities reach similar results (equality of outcome) after doing a similar amount of work. Indeed, equal opportunity and equality of outcome are often seen as complimentary. For example, as long as inequalities can be passed form one generation to another through gifts and wealth inheritance, it is unclear that equality of opportunity for children can be achieved without greater equality of outcome for parents.

Societies must choose whether equal opportunities in society are to be based on immutable traits (eg. gender, race) or whether to extend their demands to include mutable traits (eg. hair style, education, language, wealth). Equal opportunity does not necessarily diminish the possibible rewards of meritocracy where treatment is based on immutable traits only. Where the pursuit of equalisation of treatment is also based on mutable traits this invokes social justice programs such as affirmative action or positive discrimination.

The term Equal Opportunity Employment was created by President Lyndon Baines Johnson when he signed Executive Order 11246 which was created to prohibit federal contractors from discriminating against employees on the basis of race, sex, religion, color, or national origin.

The Execuitve Order also required contractors to implement affirmative action plans to increase the participation of minorities and women in the workplace. Pursuant to federal regulations, affirmative action plans must consist of an equal opportunity policy statement, an analysis of the current work force, identification of problem areas, the establishment of goals and timetables for increasing employment opportunities, specific action-oriented programs to address problem areas, support for community action programs, and the establishment of an internal audit and reporting system.