Equity Versus Equality for Women in Tertiary Education.

In the world of education, we discuss equality frequently. The general consensus is for everyone to have the same opportunities, regardless of their gender, race, disability status or other factors that might affect whether they can get an education or not. There are even laws, particularly the Human Rights Act 1993 and the bill of rights, in place today to help make sure this happens.

But what does equality really mean in 2023 and how does it compare to equity? Are we actually addressing what really is happening in our society today, post pandemic and pre-recession? How do we go about creating not only an equitable platform, but an equal one too for all walks of life, and is that even possible? And if we get it right within our education system, how will our society look in comparison?

 “Equality is giving everyone a shoe, equity is giving everyone a shoe that fits.”

Equity and equality are both important concepts when it comes to ensuring that women have equal opportunities in tertiary education. However, these two concepts are not interchangeable and have distinct meanings.

Equality is the idea that everyone should be treated the same and have the same opportunities, an important human right. This means that women should have the same access to education as men and should be able to participate in the same programs and activities. Equality aims to create a level playing field for all individuals, regardless of their gender, historical backgrounds and/or experiences.

The problem with equity, however, is that it doesn't address the issue of gender inequalities in tertiary education head on—it doesn't actually make any changes at all! It simply suggests that if both men and women are given equal opportunities to participate in tertiary education programs or activities (for example), then they will have similar outcomes (such as graduation rates). However, we know this categorically just isn't true: women still face barriers to participation in certain fields of study and careers which may prevent them from achieving success. External barriers such as childcare, extended families, finances, time and employment requirements also broadly challenge women within an `equal opportunity’ discussion.

So, `equality’ by itself as a target doesn’t really get us anywhere in today’s society. Throughout the post war decades of the 20th century it was important for society to work towards equality – for more jobs to be accessible for women, for laws to be downgraded for women to become their own entity, for women to be seen as an individual, not a male’s property.

Equity, on the other hand, acknowledges that not everyone starts from the same place and that some individuals may need extra support in order to achieve the same level of success. For example, women may face additional barriers to education, such as societal expectations or discrimination, that men do not.

Equity aims to address these barriers and provide the necessary support to ensure that everyone has an equal chance to succeed. It creates opportunities for individuals to play to their strengths and address factors and barriers that hold them back from being involved in tertiary education.

Equity in education can be achieved in a variety of ways: by providing scholarships and funding directed at helping specific targeted groups; increasing equity funding within our communities; encourage women to enter academic careers through advertisement and opportunities; offering mentoring or leadership programmes for female students; ensuring equal access for female students across all institutes and courses; ensuring accessible childcare spaces at the institute; providing flexible study options if women have caring responsibilities (like part-time work); and creating safe learning environments where sexual harassment is not tolerated.

While equality emphasizes a fair distribution of resources and opportunities, equity looks at the systemic factors that might limit certain people's ability to participate in society as fully as others. As such, equity requires us to address the root causes of inequality rather than simply trying to rectify its symptoms.

In this way, equity is a more nuanced approach than equality because it recognizes that there are different ways of being disadvantaged—and they are often intersectional (meaning they affect people differently based on their multiple identities). For example:

Women carry out unpaid labour in households and care work; women also earn less than men on average because of discrimination; women have less access than men do when it comes time for promotions or raises; women are more likely than men are expected by society not only go home after having children but also raise them without help from fathers (or anyone else). This means that even though both genders may be equally capable workers with similar skillsets and experience levels when compared side-by-side--women might actually face greater obstacles when applying for jobs because they aren't considered as "deserving" due solely on their gender identity alone!

The concept of equity was first defined by John Rawls in 1971, when he introduced the difference principle.

In his 1971 book A Theory of Justice, the Harvard philosopher John Rawls defined what he called the difference principle. This concept is based on a simple idea: "In social cooperation men advance their interests by mutual accommodations," Rawls wrote. "When these are not reached and conflicts arise, there is a tendency for people to lose faith in one another's willingness to cooperate."

In other words: If a group of people are working together but they feel like they're being exploited by an imbalance of power, they'll stop cooperating and start competing with each other instead. It's a problem that plagued many early societies—and it still plagues us today.

According to Rawls' theory of justice, a perfectly equitable society would ensure that people were rewarded in proportion to their effort and talent. In other words, if you worked hard all day long, you would be paid more than someone else who worked only an hour or two each day.

Overall, while equality is important in ensuring that everyone has the same opportunities, equity is necessary to address the barriers that prevent women from achieving their full potential in tertiary education. By working to achieve both equality and equity, we can create a more inclusive and equitable education system for women.