Equality of outcome
Also called: Equality of condition, Equality of result · Topic: Equality and Social Justice · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
Equality of outcome is the goal of making people's actual results more equal, such as their income or wealth. It goes further than equality of opportunity, which only gives everyone the same rights and chances to develop their talents. Socialists and egalitarians (people who want society to be much more equal) aim for it. Liberals contest it. They argue that unequal results are fair when they come from different talent and effort in a fair contest.
Example
Progressive taxation takes a larger share from the rich and uses it to fund welfare for the poor. This moves society towards equality of outcome. India's land reforms followed the same logic: zamindari abolition and land ceiling laws took away surplus land so that more people could own some.
Don't confuse with
- Equality of opportunity: this gives everyone the same rights and chances at the start. Unequal results that come from different talent are accepted.
- Economic equality: this means there are no large gaps in wealth or income. Since full equality has never existed, democracies usually pursue it through equal opportunity, not equal results.
Related concepts
- Equality of opportunity
- Meritocracy
- Natural inequalities
- Socially produced inequalities
- Inequalities of choice and circumstance