When you remove "al" from "equality," you get "equity." While equality means treating everyone identically, this approach often proves inadequate in social settings because we begin our life journeys from vastly different starting points. Some of us face systemic disadvantages while others benefit from privilege, requiring adjustments in our approach to make opportunities truly accessible to everyone.
Consider India's Scheduled Tribes policy as an illustration. Quota systems serve as equity measures providing necessary leverage, while basic human rights ensure equal treatment. This distinction demonstrates how equity addresses historical imbalances by providing targeted support where needed, rather than applying uniform treatment regardless of circumstance.
This principle guides policies globally. In the United States, Affirmative Action policies have increased representation of underrepresented groups in education and employment, recognizing the historical disadvantages faced by African Americans and other minorities. These initiatives acknowledge that equal treatment alone cannot overcome centuries of systematic discrimination.
South Africa offers another compelling case through its post-apartheid Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) program. After decades of apartheid that systematically excluded Black South Africans from economic participation, BEE policies now provide preferential treatment in employment, business ownership, and government contracts to redress historical injustices.
Brazil has implemented quota systems in universities to reserve spots for Black, mixed-race, and Indigenous students, acknowledging the country's persistent racial inequalities stemming from its history of slavery and subsequent marginalization.
In New Zealand, Treaty of Waitangi principles guide policies that create special measures for Māori communities, including dedicated parliamentary representation and targeted healthcare initiatives, recognizing the ongoing impacts of colonization.
These diverse examples demonstrate that equity measures, while sometimes controversial, represent necessary interventions to address deep-rooted systemic disadvantages. Simple equality of treatment, though well-intentioned, cannot by itself create truly fair outcomes when starting points differ so dramatically across society.
Equity must precede equality precisely because it creates the conditions that make genuine equality possible. Without first addressing historical imbalances and structural barriers through targeted interventions, declarations of equal treatment become hollow promises—maintaining rather than dismantling existing hierarchies. Equity serves as the foundation that levels the playing field, correcting historical wrongs and contemporary disparities so that future equality can be meaningful rather than merely theoretical. Only when people stand on relatively equal footing—in terms of opportunity, access, and resources—can equal treatment fulfill its promise of fairness. The ultimate goal remains a society where both equity and equality coexist: equity to continuously address emerging disparities, and equality to honor our common humanity and fundamental rights.
Yet today's political landscape reveals a troubling paradox. As polarization intensifies globally, we find ourselves in a political environment that increasingly neglects both equity and equality. Nations that once championed human rights now prioritize isolation and protectionism. The path forward requires recommitting to both principles: equity to create the conditions where fairness can flourish, and equality to ensure that once there, everyone's humanity is equally respected and protected.
I have hope that things will get better globally. Do you?