What are opportunities and why should they be equal?

In order to clarify the concept of equal opportunities we need an accurate definition of “opportunity”. Opportunities can be defined in terms of qualifying actions through which an agent can achieve an advantageous position. It is concluded that “equal opportunities” is often used as a catchword in cases when opportunities are not really equal, and no one tries seriously to make them so. In many of these cases it would have been more accurate to speak of “open opportunities and procedural justice”. These are important enough aspects of social justice, that should be appreciated for what they are, rather than being falsely represented as equal opportunities. Copyright Springer-Verlag 2004