International Women’s Day 2023 is a day to celebrate the achievements of women around the world and to continue the fight for gender equality and equity. This year, the #embraceequity initiative is shining a spotlight on why equal opportunities aren’t enough for measurable progress. Since everyone has different opportunities and different backgrounds, true inclusion requires equitable actions.
While “equity” is a term typically used in financial contexts, it also has a powerful social meaning that is relevant to women’s rights and gender equality. So, what’s the difference between equity and equality?
- Equality means each individual or group of people is given the same resources or opportunities
- Equity recognizes that each person has different circumstances, and allocates the exact resources and opportunities needed to reach an equal outcome
This quote sums it up best:
“Equality is giving everyone a shoe. Equity is giving everyone a shoe that fits.”
(Susan K Gardner. Dean, College of Education, Oregon State University)
Women often face economic disadvantages and inequities in areas such as pay, access to credit and financing, and ownership of assets. These disparities perpetuate gender inequality and limit women’s opportunities for economic and social mobility. The #embraceequity initiative is calling for greater awareness and action to address these issues, and to promote a more equitable world for all. This includes advocating for policies and practices that support women’s economic empowerment, such as equal pay, affordable childcare, and access to credit and financial services.
But promoting gender equity is not just about economics and finances. It’s also about creating a more just and inclusive society, where women are valued and respected as equal members. This requires challenging gender stereotypes and biases, promoting diversity and inclusion, and supporting women’s leadership and decision-making.
In financial contexts equity refers to the value of something minus the amount of debt or obligation that is associated with it and can also refer to ownership in a company or investment, associated with stocks or shares. At Dorsum, we take both the social and the financial meanings seriously. Our CEO and our management takes care to find and greenlight employee benefit programs that take educational and financial backgrounds into consideration, while our HR team works with every colleague on an individual and personal level to find out and provide what they need to succeed in their daily work.
As for the financial meaning… well, we don’t have much to prove, just look around the site to see that our expertise in unquestionable in that regard. 😉
We’re happy to take part in the global effort to #embraceequity, putting our own spin on the movement’s signature “hug yourself” pose, posing with a genuine, printed, physical share from the 1990s of the company “FOTEX”. Let’s all embrace equity this International Women’s Day and work together to build a more just and equal and equitable world for everyone.
