One rate to equalize
Equal opportunity is a relaxation of equalized odds. It requires only that the true positive rate be equal across groups. Among people who genuinely deserve the positive outcome, every group should be approved at the same rate. It says nothing directly about false positives.
Why focus on true positives
In many settings the most important harm is missing a qualified person, such as a deserving loan applicant or a sick patient who needs treatment. Equal opportunity targets exactly that error, asking that no group is disproportionately overlooked when it qualifies.
Tradeoffs
- Looser than equalized odds, so it is easier to satisfy and costs less accuracy.
- It does not control false positives, so groups can still differ in how often unqualified members are wrongly approved.
When to use it
Choose equal opportunity when the cost of a false negative dominates and you care most that qualified members of every group get their fair chance.
Key idea
Equal opportunity relaxes equalized odds to require only equal true positive rates, ensuring qualified members of every group are approved at the same rate when false negatives are the dominant harm.