Girling

Just another unsolicited vocab lesson from your favorite feminist

A couple weeks ago, I shared an article about different terms in gender theory and how, while we may colloquially use them interchangeably, they do have different technical definitions. Today is kind of similar (but with far less vocabulary, don’t worry).

Today I’m thinking about “equality” and “equity.” They may sound similar, but they are not the same.

They may sound similar, but they are not the same.

Equality refers to treating all parties the same, regardless of circumstance. Equity, however, refers to providing reasonable accommodations so that all parties have equal opportunity. Although I am a writer, I think this concept is easier understood with pictures. 

Below is a popular cartoon (“Addressing Imbalance,” by Tony Ruth for the 2019 Design in Tech Report by way of George Washington University) that’s used to demonstrate the difference between these concepts:

From these drawings, you can see that the two children do not have the same opportunity to collect apples from the tree based on which side of the tree they’re standing on. Seems like The Giving Tree had favorites.

Bad jokes aside, creating equality between the two kids would mean giving them ladders, but, because the tree bends, that doesn’t actually give them an equal opportunity to collect apples. Creating equity between the two kids would entail providing them with different-sized ladders based on need. Justice, however, would be changing the circumstances so that both children could receive the same resources (in this case, ladders) to reach the same level of opportunity.

Pretty straightforward when you have pictures, right?

The point of this post, however, is not just to teach vocabulary, but to demonstrate the importance of language in advocacy. When advocating for fair conditions across sexes/genders/races/anything else, what we really want is equity – not just equality. 

What we really want is equity – not just equality.

For example, there are times when women need special accommodations to have the same opportunities as men in the workplace (I’m thinking menopause or breastfeeding). To treat men and women equally would be to have women work on the same schedule and at the same intensity as men, despite their undergoing an intense physiological change or having to pump every two hours. But, to provide equity, an employer might provide flexible hours or a hybrid work schedule to allow women the resources they need to take care of their health without sacrificing their career.

I use equality and equity interchangeably all the time, even though I know that they mean different things. That doesn’t make me a bad advocate. But I do think that we should all work to be more intentional with our language so that when our voices are heard, our message is clear: we demand gender equity. 

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