By now, about every company has shared their International Women’s Day image and message. Some have also shared photos where they must have forced their female staff to embrace themselves to show embracing equity. Hilarious. Beyond the images and catchy phrases about IWD, what do we really mean when we say we want to embrace equity?
In a recent (soon to be published) interview with a leading woman in tech, I asked what her thoughts were on equality and equity. I probed on whether the IWD theme #EmbraceEquity was a pointer to the fact that equality was unachievable. Look out for her answers in a future publication from TechCity, but also, ponder on it yourself. I will provide more context to aid your soul searching.
Equality means individuals or group of people are given the exact same resources or opportunities. It requires that every individual, regardless of their race, gender, religion, or any other characteristic, should be treated fairly and without discrimination. While achieving equality has been an ongoing process the world over, many arguments have been raised over the systemic, gender specific biases which make equality a pipe dream. Getting to this point of embracing equity may in fact prove that the race for equality is a rat race.
What is Equity?
- Unlike equality, equity recognizes that each person has different circumstances and allocates (specific) resources and opportunities needed to reach an outcome. It is premised on the idea of fairness and impartiality in the treatment of all individuals, regardless of their backgrounds or characteristics – in this case, women.
- Equity recognizes that people may have different needs, experiences, and opportunities based on their identities, and seeks to ensure that everyone has equal access to opportunities and resources.
How can companies simply embrace equity with their female workers?
- Address pay gaps: Ensure that female workers are paid the same as their male counterparts for the same role and level of experience.
- Promote diversity and inclusion: Encourage diversity at all levels of the company, including leadership positions, and ensure that everyone feels included and valued. Encourage female staff to contribute at meetings and team projects.
- Offer flexible work arrangements: Provide flexible work arrangements, such as remote work or flexible schedules, to accommodate the diverse needs of female employees. The elephant in the room of personal issues like periods, hormonal imbalances, pregnancy and other life events which affect females differently than they do men need to be considered and worked around as well.
- Provide professional development opportunities: Offer training and development programs to help female workers advance in their careers and acquire new skills factoring in a few differences in execution and approach compared with their male counterparts
- Implement anti-discrimination policies: Establish policies and procedures to prevent discrimination and harassment in the workplace, and ensure that they are followed and enforced by all. Even more, create an environment that makes female staff feel safe and like she has an ally in the event of a misdemeanor. It is important to also establish zero tolerance for false accusations in the same vein.
Equity appears to be more achievable than equality primarily because it recognizes that different individuals or groups have different needs and requires distributing resources and opportunities accordingly. Equality, on the other hand, assumes that everyone has the same starting point and can achieve the same outcomes with equal treatment. However, this approach does not take into account the historical, societal, personal and gender specific differences that certain groups have. By recognizing and addressing the specific needs of different individuals and groups, we can work towards a more just and equitable society.
Overall, embracing equity with female workers involves creating a work environment that is fair, inclusive, and most importantly, supportive, and that enables everyone to thrive regardless of their gender or other identity characteristics.
