ABSTRACT
Introduction Miller identifies four types of equality: ontological equality, equality of condition, equality of opportunity and equality of outcome (Miller, 1996: 203). The first relates to a belief in the fundamental sameness of human beings. The second relates to the extension of ontological equality into the social and economic sphere, seeking to level the playing field by attempting to equalize conditions for those who are disadvantaged in society. It is equality of opportunity and equality of outcome which have come to have been used most frequently in terms of policy and relate to the liberal and radical approaches respectively, which will be discussed later in this chapter. When looking at equality initiatives in the employment sphere, equal opportunities has become the most common descriptor or label. In fact it has become a catch-all for distinctly different types of equality initiative. Thus, it is a term that will be used frequently
in this chapter, however it is important to recognize that there are problems with using such a term without remaining critically aware of its weaknesses and the fact that it actually encompasses different types of equality initiative. Such issues will be discussed in greater detail in the rest of this chapter.
