Everyone Benefits From Equal Opportunity
Introduction
Equal opportunity policies attempt to ensure that an organization does not deny membership or inclusion basing on one’s sex, disability or age. The concept of equal opportunity can be applied in various domains including provision of public services, employment and educational opportunities. In this regard, the applicants are treated as being equal without any form of bias, prejudice or preference over one another. Wrench (45) points out that equal opportunity draws on the assumption that every individual should receive similar treatment. For instance, in the employment environment, a job is given to the individual who is most qualified and can ably perform the task at hand regardless of caste, age, ethnicity, religion, disability or sexual orientation. In addition, it is imperative for organizations to make sure that the openings for advancements are open to every individual interested in order to make sure that all of the applicants have an equal chance of competing within the established rules. The primary idea behind equal opportunity is to eliminate arbitrariness during the selection process and make sure that the selection process bases on fairness. There is no doubt that everyone benefits from the concept of equal opportunity when applied in any domain.
The first benefit associated with equal opportunity is that it plays an integral role in the fight against unjustified discrimination and guarantees fair treatment of every individual in the society. Wrench (57) points out that equal opportunity focuses on treating individuals fairly, identifying and eliminating potential barriers that are likely to result in unfair treatment, and equalize the existing imbalances so that disadvantaged groups can continue accessing opportunities in order to participate in the wider society as well the organization. According to Özbilgin (100), equal opportunity is extremely important because we are in a multicultural society where discrimination is rampant; hence, there is the need to respect diversity. Wrench (50) argues that we are people; as a result, we should be given the same opportunities and rights irrespective of one’s age, cultural background, sexuality, gender or religion. In this regard, Wrench (51) stresses that without equal opportunity, a society cannot progress; this is because the lack of equality of opportunity tends to widen the disparity between those who have and those who do not have, which is detrimental to development at the societal level.
Özbilgin (70) perceives the benefits of equal opportunity from the organizational environment perspective, and argues that equality of opportunity plays an instrumental role in making the work environment better. In this regard, equal opportunity results in a safer and more respectable environment, which everybody desires, because it is considered illegal to harass an employee basing on their disability, sex, race or age. In addition, equal opportunity results in equal employment, which makes it relatively easier to remove the systematic disadvantages that specific groups face during the application and selection process. In the organizational environment, equality of opportunity also plays an integral role in overcoming the various types of discrimination through forced integration of the specific minority groups. In addition, equality of opportunity also eliminates unfairness with regard to access to services, whether public or private; this makes it illegal for any person to deny another individual to acquire or use any form of service, good or product as well as entrance to facilities (Özbilgin 75).
In conclusion, it is apparent that equality of opportunity benefits the society and every individual in it. This is because it equal opportunity highlights the fact that we are different, and regardless of whom we are, every individual should receive fair treatment. In addition, it is imperative that we feel there is no difference among ourselves; therefore, it is imperative to acknowledge that the views of other people are also important.
