Equity, Equality and the Evolution of Work

Thank you to Kaisa Laane, a student completing work experience with Corecom in July 2024, who wrote and published this article.

Equality and equity are two terms that often get used interchangeably, but they actually have distinct meanings. Understanding the difference is key to achieving a more accepting and fair society. Where equality hopes to standardise the conditions of people, equity seeks to level the outcomes of effort.  

“The difference between equity and equality is that equality is everyone get the same thing and equity is everyone get the things they deserve.” – DeRay McKesson 

Equality: A level playing field 

Imagine a race where all the runners start at the same line. This is equality in action. Everyone gets the same starting point, the same rules, and the same resources (like running shoes). In theory, this creates a fair competition where the fastest runner wins.  

This is the ideology under which most institutions operate, including the school system with its meritocratic assessment system (as all assessments are conducted in a fair and silent hall), and even to religious systems where, for example, the Christian God gives every human an equal chance in life and criteria, to be judged once the afterlife is reached. This can sound extreme to our modern ears, but it’s important to understand how much the idea of equality has been entrenched in our thinking for centuries. 

Equality in the real world 

Equality works well in some situations, such as legal codes. Everyone is subject to the same laws, regardless of background. However, the real world is rarely a level playing field. Some people start the race with advantages – better nutrition, training, or natural talent. And some start the race with disadvantages such as shorter stature or weaker muscles. In the workplace this translates to features such as different degrees of education or, on a more mundane level, the distance you live from your workplace and how early you must wake up to make it in on time. 

Equity: Providing what’s needed 

Equity recognizes these starting point differences. Instead, it aims to give everyone the resources and support they need to compete fairly and reach an equal standard in terms of achievement and performance – not predisposed skill. 

The same applies for corporate contexts where many employers now offer transportation bursaries or schemes, health and fitness is promoted with free gym memberships and, most importantly, individual training is conducted to ensure all employees are capable of meeting work responsibilities and any specific concerns are addressed. 

The Equity example: Shoes for everyone 

Going back to our race – equity might mean providing different sized shoes to the runners. One runner might get a boost with platform shoes, while another might need special insoles. Everyone gets what they need to run their best race.  

“Equality is giving everybody, for example, a size 10 pair of Doc Martins to attend an event. But if someone is not a size 10, or they don’t like the brand, they’re going to feel very uncomfortable. So, if we want to be equal, that’s what we’d be doing. But if we’re pushing ourselves into equity, we would ask ‘What shoes do you need to be comfortable in this space?’ then we would provide people with the specific shoes they need to be comfortable and be themselves.” – Amy Lynch, speaking at Corecom’s recent Women in Tech event in the UK.  

An equitable school for example might offer extra tutoring or after school spaces and ICT to students that suffer from material deprivation (in 2022 6% of Dutch children were in material deprivation), ensuring everyone has a chance to succeed and the negative effects of personal conditions are negated. 

Equity in action 

Equity is applied in many areas, from education to healthcare with professionals in those fields taught mandatory equality and diversity provisions such as being able to request a female doctor in hospital or specialised rooms with decreased sensory input for people with Autism or ADHD. As Leana S. Wen said, “Public health is a powerful tool to level that playing field, to bend the arc of our country away from distrust and disparities and back towards equity and justice.” 

As such, equity and equality schemes are also widely prevalent in corporate environments with an increased focus on diverse teams and inclusive action.  

“Building an equitable workplace isn’t just the right thing to do, it’s a strategic advantage. When we remove barriers in our recruitment process and create a truly inclusive environment, we tap into a wider pool of talent, fostering diverse perspectives and innovation. This leads to better decision-making, stronger teams, and ultimately, a company that thrives in today’s dynamic world.” – Chloe Marshall, Corecom ED&I Ambassador. 

Challenges to equity 

There are some challenges that cannot be overcome by equitable action, such as material deprivation that, besides a low income, is also statistically proven to correlate with increased illness (people aged 25–54 with a long-standing illness are about 50% more likely to be in relative income poverty than healthy 25- to 54-year-olds). This disadvantages many in society, causing absences from responsibilities and, by extension, secularised underachievement.  

Other important factors to note are the challenges of collating data to track the effects of equitable action, resistance to the concept due to long-held and inherited beliefs, the role of unconscious bias, the complexities of considering all intersects of multiple team members, and the changing workplace environment and priorities of businesses at difficult times, such as economic downturns.* 

The importance of both 

Equality and equity are not opposites; they work together. Equality guarantees everyone the same rights and opportunities. Equity ensures these rights and opportunities are meaningful, considering people’s different needs. If we are to create a workplace where everyone is able to thrive and deliver meaningful and joyful work, we must consider whether our actions are equitable, to deliver equality.  

* These challenges were discussed at Corecom’s recent UK Leaders Lab: Women in Tech event, the recording is available on request – email a.watts@corecomconsulting.co.uk 

Need advice on the ED&I journey of your business? Speak to our ED&I Ambassador Chloe Marshall on c.marshall@corecomconsulting.eu