In this thesis I examine theoretical underpinnings to policies of equality of opportunity and in so doing, offer the case for: a) including classism within the realm of equality of opportunity policy; b) a re-evaluation of ethnic monitoring procedures to embrace contemporary concerns about the category construct of ethnic identity; c) the development of an ethics of sex relations to complement strategies to combat material sexism. In supporting my case I explore enlightenment conceptions of equality against contemporary late and postmodern debates about difference and otherness. This exploration includes an assessment of Italian and French theories of sex difference. I conclude with an assessment. of the tension between social and private determinants of disadvantage and inequality.