Although the terms equality and equity are often talked about interchangeably, they’re two different things. Although the goals of gender equality and gender equity are the same – equality between the genders – we can think of gender equity as the way to achieve gender equality.
Before we talk about them in terms of gender, let’s first define equality and equity in simple terms.
What is equality?
Equality is the state of being equal in terms of rights, resources, and opportunities.
If we’re talking about social equality, it means everyone in society should have equal right and opportunities. This includes human rights and access to health, education, wealth, services, etc., regardless of who they are.
What is equity?
Equity is about fairness, impartiality, and justice.
It goes further than equality in recognising the crucial fact that different people need different treatment for an equal outcome. Because people start from different places and have different needs.
This is because things like disability, class, socio-economic background, race or gender can affect what opportunities and resources people have access to and what barriers and biases they face. The more intersecting identities people have puts them at more of a disadvantage, so they will need different treatment to others in order to achieve an equal outcome.
For example, Strategy&’s 2021 Ethnicity Pay Gap report shows that White British women earn 17% less than White British men. Whereas White and Black Caribbean women earn 30% less than White British men.
Furthermore, PwC’s 2024 Women In Work Report analysed the pay disparity in the UK when accounting for differences other than gender and found that ‘pay penalties’ still persist which means ‘biases and structural inequalities in the workplace play a significant role in driving gender pay disparities ‘ with intersectionality playing a significant part. ‘We find that disparities in pay are accentuated when the intersection of gender with income, ethnicity and age is considered.’
What about equal treatment?
Although usually very well intended, when we say we want people to be equal so we treat people equally, the result can still be unequal.
This is because of those different starting points and needs that we mentioned before. So blanket equal treatment that doesn’t recognise or account for these factors often still yields unequal results.
What is the difference between equality and equity?
The below cartoon is a great visual representation of the difference between the outcomes of equality vs systemic change:
Here we have three people trying to look over a fence. On the left-hand side they have been treated equally but that equal treatment has resulted in an unequal outcome. The people on the left can see over the fence but the person on the right can’t because their needs as a wheelchair user haven’t been accounted for.
In some examples of the equity vs equality cartoon all three people are treated differently, i.e. equitably, but the result is still equal. These are a good examples, but our version goes further to show that it’s actually the system that needs to be changed – in our case, the fence. Now everyone can see comfortably after the system of inequality has been addressed.
This means, if we want to achieve an equal outcome – for example a gender-equal workplace – we need to treat people equitably and we need to create systemic change.
What is gender equity?
Gender equity, therefore, is the acknowledgement that women need to be treated differently, or equitably, in order to achieve equality. This is because of the history of patriarchy and the consequent imbalance that exists between men and women in workplaces. Currently in the UK, women have worse health and career outcomes than men, with the gaps widening when we look through an intersectional lens at things like ethnicity and disability.
The UK Government’s 2019 gender equality roadmap shows: ‘Compared to men, despite doing better in education; women are over three times more likely to work part time; are less likely to progress in work; generally work in lower paying industries and occupations; and have lower pensions wealth’. And even in sectors where women make up the majority of the workforce, men still hold the majority of senior positions. ‘Almost two thirds of retail assistants are women, while the majority of retail managers and directors are men’.
Gender equity therefore aims to acknowledge and address the inequalities that women face at work, because of their gender, in order to increase their access to wealth, career progression, and work environments that work for them.
What does a gender-equitable workplace look like?
The first step to achieving a gender-equitable workplace is understanding the barriers and biases that women and non-binary people face in your workplace. It’s only when you know what they are that you can work to address and remove them.
We’ve found that men often aren’t aware of what the women in their workplace are going through. This is a problem when men are the ones with the power to create systemic change – they can’t act if they don’t know what’s needed. But with training their awareness is raised and they’re equipped with the tools to make change happen.
Gender-equitable workplaces can look like:
- Equal family leave policies
- Flexible working at every level
- Mentorship opportunities for women
- Equal pay and erasing the gender pay gap
- Policies and training that raise awareness and promote inclusion
- Assessing and changing systemic practices to ensure they’re gender-equal
- Listening to the experiences of women and non-binary people in the workplace
- An open and inclusive workplace culture for all marginalised groups, not just women
Raising awareness through training on everything from unconscious bias and gender-based microaggressions to pay gaps and flexible working will give everyone in the organisation the awareness, tools, and confidence needed to move into meaningful action.
Isn’t it unfair to men?
Workplaces were made by men for men, and men still benefit from this. They are the majority of senior management and executive levels in almost every industry in the UK. And men are the top earners in every industry.
We are therefore recognising that systemic change needs to happen in order to level the playing field. But creating gender-equal workplaces doesn’t mean things are taken away from men, or made worse for men. Men stand to gain a lot, too. This is a really important point to get across, because there are great incentives for men to get involved.
Can men benefit from gender equity?
The majority of men who have been involved in gender initiatives and/or allyship training say they’ve benefited personally, professionally or both.
The Brussells Binder’s 2023 report found that 82% of male respondents who had engaged in gender equality issues at work say it makes them a better leader and/or colleague. Inclusive workplaces are better environments for everyone to work in, including men, because workplaces that champion positive masculinity and take men’s mental health seriously will look out for them.
Men are also living under gender stereotypes of masculinity that expect them to be strong and not ask for help, but we can see that this is having a disastrous effect on their mental health and health outcomes. Furthermore, ,en in the UK are three times more likely to die by suicide than women, with suicide being the leading cause of death for men under the age of 50. Men are far less likely to ask for help because they don’t want to appear weak, which means only 36% of NHS referrals for talking therapies are for men with ‘a strong link between conforming to masculine norms and reduced help-seeking’.
This affects men in the workplace too. According to the Men’s Health Forum 52% of men would be concerned about taking time off work for their mental health and 46% would be embarrassed to tell their employer the real reason. Employers have a duty of care to the men that work for them. An open environment where they can disclose issues with their mental health and be helped without fear of judgement is key.
As well as being the right thing to do, men, businesses, and society all stand to benefit from gender equity. Greater diversity leads to better innovation and more profit, and women having more money helps the economy. Men benefit from working in successful companies that support them, and in families and a society that is doing well.
How do I work on gender equity in my workplace?
Gender equity is an increasingly important part of a company’s diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. We offer training programs from gender microaggressions to positive masculinity for all of the men in your organisation. We also have training programs on how to be inclusive and equitable leaders so management can lead with confidence.
We’re here to support you, firstly by hearing where you’re at now and then advising on next steps. Head to our contact page or email hello@maleallies.co.uk to get started.