Sadia Week #9: Equality or Equity?
I love having debates with my mom. It does not matter what kind of topic it is, it is always entertaining and
interesting to argue, helping me gain more perspective on various topics. Sometimes my dad joins in,
bringing his views on the matter. We debate about all kinds of things from, religion and society to food,
education, and even to the point where we discuss complex and darker topics like spiritual beings and
suicides.
One of our recent debates was on equality versus equity. What is the difference? Equality is "the state of
being equal, especially in status, rights, and opportunities.” Equity on the other hand “refers to fairness
and justice and is distinguished from equality”. I argued for equality, focused on its importance and
necessity in cases like individual rights and access to resources. while my mom focused on equity. Ourmain argument revolved around to what extent does equality or equity apply? My mom claimed that
justice is more powerful than equality, that the claim relies on circumstances, and I agree. Her statement
reminded me of a cartoon picture that I had seen a few years earlier, which illustrated the difference
between equality and equity. The cartoon picture had three people of different heights, looking over the
wall, but in the first they were all given equal boxes, making it impossible for the shortest one to look
over the wall and the tallest one being unnecessarily tall, portraying equality. The picture below focused
on equity and in this version, all three were given just enough boxes they needed to see over the wall. In
his article, Jeff Raikes mentions “Equality is when everyone has the same thing. Equity is giving people
what they need.”
Our debate did not end with a clear winner or a right answer, but it did teach me the value of equity.
What stood out to me the most was the power of understanding how and when to apply them to a situation.
Works Cited
Oxford Dictionary. “Oxford Languages.” Oxford Languages, Oxford University Press, 2024, languages.oup.com/google-dictionary-en/.
https://www.naceweb.org/about-us/equity-definition#:~:text=The%20term%20%E2%80%9Cequity%E2%80%9D%20refers%20to,and%20make%20adjustments%20to%20imbalances.
Hi Sadia! Just like you, I also love engaging in long, morally conflicting debates with my parents, stretching from the realms of politics all the way to cuisine preferences. I believe that controlled debates are the best way to gain a deeper understanding of countless perspectives and gain a more open mind. The debate topic that you covered in this blog is something that I often ponder upon myself as well, never being able to sufficiently reach a fair conclusion. As you argue in your blog as well, under different circumstances, both versions of distribution are important for a society. Things like rights, responsibilities, and resources should usually be equally divided. On the other hand, compensation, assistance, and even things like taxation are based on the concept of equity. From the research I have done, I have come closer to believing that equity benefits a society more as it is never fair to assume everyone is equal, and those who need greater assistance in uplifting themselves should be prioritized to minimize those at the very bottom. At the same time, this lies on the edge of economic freedom and government-based control, creating a gray area in which the extent of such a practice must be decided. Your blog has left me with a lot of thoughts that I would love to think about and discuss with both my family and friends!
ReplyDeleteHi Sadia! I really resonate to how you love debating with your parents and I also do that. The only thing I dont like is education. I feel like views from your parents could be different from your friends because they have more experience in the topic. This is why I think it is great to debate with your parents. The debate topic on equality v.s. equity was always really interesting to me. Sometimes I find myself leaning to both or neither sides because there is always a reason for one to be "better" than the other. I do argue that both are essential for a society to thrive. Most days though, I lean towards the equity side of the debate as i think justice and fairness is more justifiable towards society because not everyone is equal. This is just my point of view so don't take my word to hard on it. Your blog was amazing to read and it really made me question the debate further than what I had already learned about it before.
ReplyDeleteHello, Sadia! The fact that you hold debate sessions with your parents is truly interesting and quite inspiring! I find myself often debating with my parents and it has always been fascinating for me to learn their points of view and try to see the world with the perspectives and insights they have to offer. It has helped me in shifting my viewpoints and seeing topics in angles I never would have thought to try before. It has led to some of the most thought-provoking discussions of my life and it is awesome that your family shares this similar type of dynamic as well! In regards to the topic of discussion in your blog, I love how you explored the difference between equality and equity. The visual that you presented of the three people and the boxes I believe perfectly illustrates how these concepts play out even in real life. It made me think about how, in many cases, while equality is an ideal we all strive for, it is not always the most practical solution, especially when it comes to addressing disparities. Equality may have the end goal of giving everyone the same resources and fundamental starting point, but it is equity that recognizes, depending on their circumstances, different people need different starting points, different resources, and different support systems, factors that we must take into account and accommodate for. I also think the idea of applying either equality or equity depending on the situation is a powerful takeaway. It’s about being adaptable, knowing when fairness means treating everyone the same and when it means meeting people where they are to ensure a fair outcome.
ReplyDeleteHey Sadia! Much like you, I love debate, so much so that I often dedicate my weekends, waking up hours much too early, and spending hours on end at debate tournaments and arguing with strangers. Despite the losses, however, I believe that debating is a really nuanced way of learning about the real world, forcing opposing teams to think outside of the box. So when I stumbled across your blog it immediately intrigued me because I had to think about which side I really resonated with. After much thought, I believe that equity is ideal, but equality is much closer to reality. This is because in almost every scenario I imagine equity being distributed, the idea seems much too ideal to be realistic. For instance, when I think of equity it is putting faith in the system that the world will always cater to individualistic needs, but in a world as vast and diverse as ours it seems essentially impossible to cater that nichely. Equality, however, seems to be a word thrown around to appease that masses. Nonetheless though, these are just my initial thoughts and I believe it is a much more nuanced discussion than just a this or that debate.
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