Equal employment opportunity

Equal employment opportunity (EEO) means that everyone should have an equal chance to get a job, and that the hiring process should be fair and not based on things like race, gender, age, religion, disability or any other thing that doesn't have to do with your ability to do the job.

It's like being picked for a team at recess. If your teacher picks you just because you're wearing a blue shirt or because you're friends with them, that's not fair. But if they pick you because you're good at playing soccer, that's fair. Same thing goes for jobs.

Employers are not allowed to discriminate against you based on these things. This means that they cannot treat you differently, pay you less, or fire you just because you are a boy or a girl, or because you have a different skin color, or have a disability.

If you think you have been treated unfairly or not given a job opportunity because of one of these reasons, you can speak up and report it. There are laws in place to protect you and make sure that everyone has an equal chance to succeed in the workplace.