Equal Opportunity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Equal Opportunity - Essay Example The 'equal access' mentioned may then be applied to the circumstances in which individuals receive their education, it being argued that equal opportunity in the test requires equal opportunity to acquire the skills to be tested. This may lead to a demand for equal conditions in the period before the rationing, or a demand that, because those conditions have not in fact been equal, the procedure take account of the previous relative lack of resources or opportunities of some competitors by discriminating in their favour (Political Dictionary). In the simplest terms, hiring someone based solely on ethnicity, gender, age, religion, political affiliation or sexual orientation is equally as wrong as refusing to hire a person for the same reasons. Equal opportunity practices include those that are race-blind or gender-blind, and those that involve or require affirmative action or reverse discrimination (referred to as 'positive discrimination' in the UK). The United States1 federal govern ment and various state and local governments require affirmative action in governmental hiring and contracting (Equal). ... Equal opportunity is often criticized on utilitarian grounds because the burden of equal opportunity regulations results in decreased productivity of the businesses, thus reducing well-being of all classes. But, the concept of Equal Opportunity requires that legal censure be taken against those who do not give up their prejudices. Legal censure by the state is objectionable to some. However, in the absence of Equal Opportunity, legal censure would also have to be taken against social and religious activists who aim for equality in society. Equal Opportunity is often considered separate from basic Freedoms. For example, Freedom of Speech is usually not within the realm of Equal Opportunity but rather within basic rights. Equal Opportunity consists of additional elements crucial to a meritocracy, such as: Consideration for employment, housing, and education free from immutable characteristics such as race, age, or disability; Equal access to goods and services from the government The term "equal opportunity" is synonymous with "non-discrimination". Social equity in the labour market is a stronger requirement: it implies that the benefits of employment are broadly and equitably distributed (Report, 1996). Social equality is a social state of affairs in which certain different people have the same status in a certain respect, at the very least in voting rights, freedom of speech and assembly, the extent of property rights as well as the access to education, health care and other social securities. Thus, in practice, equal opportunity is said to exist when people with similar abilities reach similar results after doing a similar amount of work. Indeed, equal opportunity and equality of outcome are often seen as complementary. Equal