Many of my friends and industry colleagues know that my new-found passion is the topic of gender equity. But for the longest time, I have been interchangeably swapping between gender equality and equity. Not until one day, an inner voice kept circling inside me to look up the difference between the two.
What’s the difference between equality and equity?
For those of you who are visual learners like me, the difference can be best described in the picture above. While equality means everyone gets their equal share, equity can be defined as fairness in the simplest term. Many may argue that equal share is the best solution, as everyone is given the same amount. However, it can be a waste of resources and pointless if the resource is not necessary, as you can vividly see from the illustration that the tallest person doesn’t need the box to view the game.
Equity on the other hand, is essential to create fairness and provide the necessary access for the success of the individuals. If a family has three children that are 15, 9 and 2 years old, the parents will not equally distribute the same amount of food to each child. Instead, the fair share often means that each child has enough amount of food to keep them full. In a society, government should create policies that is built based on fair representation and fair distribution for all groups. On the other hand, equity in the workplace often needs resources and tools to enable and empower employees.
Photo credit: Interaction Institute for Social Change | Artist: Angus Maguire