Equity vs Equality: Why should we focus on equity?

We’re probably all familiar with equality – we want everyone to have access to the same opportunities.

Not only is this morally sound but also equality makes for better business practices. But what about equity?  A spotlight must be placed on the difference between equality and equity. Although both encourage fairness, equality achieves this through treating everyone the same regardless of personal needs and requirements, whereas equity achieves this through treating people differently dependent on their need. 

Equity should be both an ultimate goal and a process: achieving equity means that no part of a person's identity (like gender, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, and religion) gets in the way of their ability to thrive. In the workplace, we want to allow people to bring their whole selves to work and set them up for success. To advance equity we must recognise, and take accountability for, changes which will remove the systemic and structural barriers to this, and the people who are affected by inequity should be part of these changes.

Anchor does this by consulting with our colleague networks and through our reverse mentoring programme, both of which aim to amplify the voices of those who belong to underrepresented and marginalised communities.
 

So, what are some practical ways we shift from thinking about just equality to both equality and equity in the workplace?

 
Ensure diverse representation across all levels - many organisations know that having diverse workplace builds a better company, however, we struggle to see diverse representations across all levels.  What we often see is diversity in the entry level roles but not in management or at executive level. Your company should empower diverse employees by providing career enhancement opportunities for underrepresented and marginalised groups and thinking about how you can shift the recruitment process to provide more equitable practices.  

Make job adverts accessible - this can include having transparency around pay, the language used throughout, how you can apply (e.g. non-digital) and making sure the advert is accessible to those who use technology such as screen-readers. 

Provide equitable access for all - this not only means access to resources and opportunities, but also physical spaces and materials. It is important to consider whether your meeting room is wheelchair-friendly, whether you have accurate closed captions on videos and if your office space has accommodations for those with sensory issues.

The route to achieving equity will not be accomplished through treating everyone equally. It will be achieved by treating everyone justly according to their circumstances. 

—Paula Dressel, Race Matters Institute

Find out more about how Anchor aim to make diversity and inclusion an everyday reality for our residents and colleagues here.

Image courtesy Maryam Abdul-Kareem.