equal opportunity

American  

noun

• equal opportunities
  plural

1. the aggregation of policies and practices in employment and other areas that do not discriminate against people on the basis of race, skin color, age, sex, gender, national origin, religion, or mental or physical disability.

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equal opportunity British  

noun

1. 1. the offering of employment, pay, or promotion equally to all, without discrimination as to sex, race, colour, disability, etc

   2. ( as modifier )

      our equal-opportunity policy

      an equal-opportunities employer

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equal opportunity Cultural  

1. The goal of giving all persons an equal chance to an education and employment, and to protect their civil rights, regardless of their race, religious beliefs, or gender. In the United States, various minority groups have been fighting for equal opportunity over the last 150 years. (See affirmative action, civil rights movement, equal protection of the laws, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, National Organization for Women, segregation, sexism, suffragist, and women's movement.)

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• equal-opportunity
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• equal opportunities
  plural

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

equal opportunity

Lawmakers said eligible schools must provide children “an equal opportunity to enroll regardless of race, ethnicity, religious affiliation, sexual orientation, gender identity, lack of housing, income level or disability.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 3, 2026

Benaissa said the mass crossing by such people was a "deeper sign of a crisis of confidence in the future" and in "the ability of institutions to guarantee adequate social protection and equal opportunity".

From Barron's ● Aug. 15, 2026

In practice, when it comes to competitive or contact sports, separate teams are usually the only way to fulfill the mandate for equal opportunity.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026

This often comes up as an issue when it comes to selling advertising time—they can’t just sell advertising time to one side without offering an equal opportunity to the other.

From Slate ● Feb. 24, 2026

As much as I believed that Negro people should have an equal opportunity to participate in American society, there were realities to deal with.

From "Reaching for the Moon" by Katherine Johnson

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Related Words

• civil rights
• coordination
• fairness
• identity
• impartiality
• parity
• tolerance

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