equal opportunity

noun

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

noun

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

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.)