Fairness: Equality or Equity

 

What comes to your mind when you hear fairness? Why your mother gets a lower salary than your male teacher even though she works as hard as him? Or whether animal research is right? Fairness is nothing but a concept that arises from humans viewing the world as a perfect place, which is not possible that equality and equity would come to its way.

According to Rick Riordan “fairness does not mean everyone gets the same. Fairness means everyone gets what they need.”

Youre familiar with this playground mentality of fairness: “I get two crackers and you get two crackers also” or “I play with the ball for twenty minutes, and then you play with it for twenty minutes.” Others are starting to question this “Sharing is Caring” idea and over-simplistic expectations of fairness. Because here’s the thing: Treating everyone exactly the same actually is not fair. What equal treatment does do erase our difference and promote privilege.

Kids from an early age are taught about fairness. They are taught to share and that everyone should get an equal turn in activities. This is most likely why, as adults we are so obsessed with equality. We promote equal rights for everyone and state that all people are created equal. But is that really true? Should our efforts go toward equality or equity? And what is the difference?

To understand more I will define the terms. Equality is when things are the same (equal) in some particular way while, equity is the state or quality of being fair. Equity is trying to understand where people are coming from and give them what they need to be successful. In contrast, equality is to make sure that everyone has the same things to be successful.

 The issue about equality and equity encompasses different fields in our society such as socioeconomic, education, work area, politics, race and gender. The only thing that entails in the idea of equality and equity is fairness and success and the biggest hindrance towards equality and equity is the differences that we have across the world. 

We often speak about equality and people being created equal, but that is not completely true. People are born into different economic classes, have different personalities, talents and interests as well as different races, cultures and backgrounds. All of these things play a role into the success of each person. Since everyone is different and we embrace these differences as unique, we must also redefine our basic expectations for fairness and success as contingent upon those individual differences.

 Take gender for example. Fairness between genders does not mean that everyone should become the same. The end goal is not for men and women to reach a complete gender less state. It means that men and women should be given the same opportunities to succeed despite their differences. 

-credits: all photos from google

In the context of the Philippine history. Filipinos from the past suffers about equality and equity. They were oppressed with the Spaniards that they tend to work for so long and did not get their fair treatment and access towards our own resources. The tried to accept the reality of the misconception between the two.  

There is a common misconception that equity and equality mean the same thing – and that they can used interchangeably, especially when talking about education. But the truth is they do not and cannot. Yes, the two words are similar, but the difference between them is crucial.  

 To end this speech, take time to remember, don’t talk about equality when you really mean equity.