Equal opportunity

As a statutory Value, the equal opportunity is a concept complicated to define. The term equality is, indeed, polysemous, and thus prone to polemic. Objectivity in the definition given in this article will be thus relative. Also let us note the ambiguity of the term Chance , put in the plural in this expression.

Etymology and definition of the terms

The term equality is the substantive relative to what is equal. This last common noun, is resulting from Latin aequalis , who has a significance similar to the “equal” adjective; of what is uniform, regular. In the expression studied here, the equality revêt a political character primarily and social , namely the equality between the citizens.

The term chance , has as for him an etymology much more surprising. It comes indeed from Latin cadere , who means “to fall”. It remains nevertheless logical, since the chance can be regarded as mistress of the events, which us “fall” above, often happily.

This definition is nevertheless the first which comes to mind; but it is not appropriate absolutely in our case. We do not have, moreover, yet definite the expression without its globality.

General approach

The equal opportunity, it is a requirement which wants that the social status of the individuals of a generation does not depend any more of the characteristics morals, ethnic, religious and social of the former generations.

It is this vision of the equal opportunity which constitutes one of the bases of the Théorie of justice of John Rawls: “by supposing that there is a distribution of the natural assets, those which are on the same level of talent and of capacity and which have the same desire to use them should have the same prospects for success, this without taking account of their initial position in the social system. ” The American philosopher does of it one of the two sides of sound “second principle”, which comes after the principle from equal freedom. According to Rawls, any economic or social inequality is acceptable only:

if it makes it possible to improve the situation of most underprivileged (principle of difference). That can be the case for example if the attribution of wages raised with a chairman makes it possible to attract a talented owner who, while developing the company, will improve the fate of the employees.
if the advantages are attached to social positions to which all can arrive if they have the talents necessary (principle of right equal opportunity, equality off to fair opportunity ). It is not a question only of one equality of right, guaranteed by the law, but of an equality in fact: the school system must indeed make it possible a child resulting from a underprivileged class to reach a career adapted to its talent.

This equal opportunity approaches the concept of equity. If the individuals are not more favoured or underprivileged the ones compared to the others, then only in account the individual effort in the distinction between the individuals returns. One can then regard the equal opportunity as supporting the development of right inequalities, i.e. those being legitimated by the personal efforts of the individual.

Equal opportunity, concept of public policy

In Belgium and to the Luxembourg, the concept of equal opportunity applies initially to the equality between the men and the women. There exists thus a Ministry for the Equal opportunity to the Luxembourg and a direction of the Equal opportunity in the French Communauté of Belgium.

The concept relates to also the fight against social, racial or different discriminations. Thus the law of February 15th, 1993 created in Belgium the Center for the equal opportunity and the fight against racism, Public service depend on the federal government. In France, the government used the concept of equal opportunity in the social discrimination and field of application while making adopt a Loi for the equal opportunity at the beginning of 2006. The preamble to the bill evokes the inequalities of access to the employment whose the inhabitants suffer from the “disadvantaged” districts, prone exchange of the riots of 2005 in the French suburbs.

The policies of education play a big role to ensure the equal opportunity in a company. One can underline some concrete actions in favor of the equal opportunity in the French universities. The Institute of political studies of Paris, with its conventions priority education, and the Association Springboard, which works in other universities, were the first to set up devices encouraging the high-school pupils of disadvantaged districts to enter universities. ESSEC set up in January 2003 the device “a prépa, an university, why not me? ”. M.H

See too

European Charter for the equality of the women and the men in the local life

M.H

External bond

General discussion of the concept of equal opportunity (Stanford Encyclopedia off Philosophy).
'' equal opportunity against the equality '' by Alain Bihr and Roland Pfefferkorn.
egalite.ch site of the conference of the French Swiss offices of the equality

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