Yes, There’s a Difference Between Equity and Equality (and Here’s Why It’s Important)

You might see the terms “equality” and “equity” used interchangeably, especially around conversations promoting fairness when it comes to human rights issues (like gender, race, sexual orientation) or social justice (like education, healthcare, politics). But—heads up—the terms are not actually the same. And there are some significant key distinctions you should know. Here’s the difference between equity and equality.

Equality is providing everyone with the same resources, support and/or opportunities across the board. True equality means there would be no difference in treatment despite gender, race, economic background, etc. A popular example of equality used in the correct form is equal pay or the notion that all genders and races should be paid the same amount for the same work, as opposed to, you know, the historical gender and racial pay gap. (Like how, as of 2018, women only make 85 cents on the dollar compared to men, and Black women only 63 cents to the dollar compared to non-Hispanic white men as of 2019.) If there was equality, the same people working the same jobs would be making the same dollar to dollar ratio. Boom. End of story.

On the other hand, equity promotes fairness by taking into account circumstances instead of a one-size-fits-all approach. An equitable solution is based on providing the appropriate resources, support and/or opportunities based on a person’s needs. For instance, it might be a great idea to provide computers and internet to every home in the neighborhood (aka equality), but equity would take into account what is happening in each home—maybe some homes already have working computers and internet access. And maybe some households need access to free WiFi, a communal space to work or even have someone come over to teach them how to navigate a computer. And what about unhoused people in the neighborhood? At the end of the day, equity in this venture would mean creating the opportunity for everyone to have access to computers and internet in a way that makes sense individually.