Ireland is a meritocratic society. Every person shall be judged, appointed, promoted, admitted, rewarded, and recognised on the basis of their individual ability, effort, conduct, and achievement. No person shall be advantaged or disadvantaged in any appointment, promotion, admission, award, or opportunity on the basis of their race, sex, origin, religion, or membership of any group. Equality of opportunity is a constitutional guarantee. Equality of outcome is not. No quota, target, diversity requirement, or equity mandate that overrides individual merit may be imposed by the state, by any public body, or by any publicly funded institution.
This article does not prohibit specific constitutional protections for groups who have suffered historical marginalisation, discrimination, or structural disadvantage, as established elsewhere in this constitution. The correction of genuine structural disadvantage is not the imposition of equity. It is the restoration of the equal starting point that meritocracy requires.