I think there is a fairly simple resolution. You can keep the standards strictly equal for all and hire by merit. But you can also, at the same time, help people with fewer opportunities to acquire the required skills and be prepared for that equal standard. IOW, level the playing field without rigging the game.

Note I said "people with fewer opportunities", not "underrepresented groups". Underrepresentation is not a problem, it can have many benign causes. Unequal opportunity is.