Equal Opportunities In The Workplace

In the 21st century, equal opportunity remains an elusive goal because there are many barriers that prevent fair treatment. Hard work does not guarantees success and disparities in quality of education undermine the ideal of having a level playing field. Chances of opportunity are not open to everyone and opportunities are distributed for arbitrary reasons other than merit. The reality is that there is no level playing field because some people enjoy advantages based on their race, gender, circumstances of birth or well-connected parents or friends. Ethnic minorities do not have an equal chance because of social inequality (Douglas 2). Gender disparities in at the workplace only serve to reaffirm that the playing field is not level. As long as there is social inequality, discrimination will always prevent people from having the same opportunities.
Equality of opportunity is a lopsided concept because people do not compete on a level playing field. Lack of equal access to education opportunities creates social inequality. Limited educational opportunities have left many unable to compete for important jobs in society. Frederick Douglass provided a personal account of the challenges he faced in accessing education. According to Douglas in Learning to Read and Write, social status does impact access to education. Children from disadvantaged …show more content…
For instance, white privilege ensures that radicalized societies where being white results in more opportunities. According to an article in the Atlantic by by Ta-Nehisi Coates, social privileges create patterns of inequality of opportunity, where some groups have a special advantage. Women and ethnic minorities suffer from inequality of opportunity as a result of societal oppression. Privileged groups enjoy power and influence and use their positions to benefit only those who look like