International Women’s Day (March 8) is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating women’s equality.

This year, for International Women’s Day and beyond, the campaign’s theme encourages us all to fully #EmbraceEquity.

But before we can do this, we need to understand what Equity actually means.

Equity VS Equality

Equity and equality are often confused, and it’s easy to understand why, as they’re closely connected. But there is a difference, and that difference is incredibly important.

Equality: The state of being equal, especially in status, rights, or opportunities.

Equity: The quality of being fair and impartial.
Sounds pretty similar right? The big difference lies between the two are the words equal and fair. Let’s look at how this can be put into practice with a simple example below.

While everybody is being given the same opportunity and resources in the image on the left, is this truly fair? Over the last several decades, there’s been a big push within society for equality across sex, gender, differing abilities, race, and more. And for a while this was the quick fix, an easy way to tick the box that individuals were being treated justly.

But there is so much more we should be doing. We must consider the specific needs of every individual to truly achieve equity.

Equity In Practice

So, how can we improve equity in both our everyday lives and in the workplace?

• Consider employee needs on an individual basis
  Whether this is to accommodate health conditions, disabilities, childcare, or something else entirely. This level of personal attention to detail will benefit your business through improved employee morale and higher quality of work. People will feel that their needs are met, and that they have been considered.

• Ensure pay equality and transparency
  By providing pay transparency to your workforce, your organisation promotes pay parity, helping close the gender pay gap. It doesn’t have to be individual salaries, but a public salary equality report showing average salaries and representation at different levels of seniority will help massively.

• Be more aware of those around you
  It can be very easy in a busy workplace or a hectic lifestyle to be consumed by your own needs. It’s important to focus on yourself, but making time every so often to stop and think about those around you will pay dividends. Is there something you could do (no matter how small) to make someone’s day that little bit easier?

What do you think?

At Amplitude, we’re incredibly conscious of ensuring that all members of our team feel equitable within their day, both male and female. We want to ensure that everyone feels heard and considered.

What areas of your life do you think deserve greater equity? How are you working towards equity in your business?