“Feminist – the person who believes in the social, political, and economic equality of the sexes”, this phrase first said by the feminist and writer Chimanda Ngozi Adichie and that is part of the lyrics for the song “Flawless”, from Beyoncé, has a lot of impact and is very significant. Although, the word equality is slowly being replaced by the term equity, do you want to know why? Then follow the text!
- The meaning of each word
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First of all, let’s see the literal meaning of each word! According to the Oxford Learner’s Dictionary, the word equality means “the fact of being equal in rights, status, advantages, etc.”. The word equity, is about “a situation in which everyone is treated equally, fairness”. It seems like they are the same thing, but the difference is the way this achievement of equal rights happens.
When we talk about equality, we consider that everyone will have the same rules, rights and duties, with no difference at all and not thinking about the singularities of each social class, gender and ethnicities. The limitations and specific necessities wouldn’t be considered when the decisions and laws are made.
In the case of equity, these limitations are taken into account, so there are then 111solutions are thought out so that these differences do not hinder the acquisition of a better living situation. The equity makes the “equal rights” more fair, because it finds mechanisms to equiparate the experiences and opportunities, putting everyone in a very similar level.
- Follow the example
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If the difference is still a blur to you, let me show you a hypothetical situation: we have 3 people, one that is 1,60 meters tall, one that is 1,70 and one that is 1,40. They all want to see a game that’s happening in a soccer field behind a wall, that measures 1,65. The only one who will see the game is the boy that is 1,70 tall. If we give a bench that measures 10 centimeters to all of them, both the 1,60 meters tall guy and the 1,80 tall guy will see the game, but the 1,40 tall guy will still not see. They were given the same benches, this is equality. But, if there was given a bench that measures 10 centimeters to the guy that is 1,60 tall and a bench that measures 30 centimeters to the guy that is 1,40 tall, the three guys would have the same opportunity to see the game well.
- And what does this have to do with feminism?
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So, when we talk about equity in feminism, we need to claim for specific changes to each group of women, according to their social conditions, the kind of prejudice each one of them suffer with and several other things. In relation to greater equity between the two genders, we also need to think about politics that make the opportunities more equal between women and men, like create a law that prevents dismissal when a woman becomes pregnant, or start making available free tampons in public places like it’s been doing with condoms, and many others.
By this way, we can start creating a society that is fairer to all.
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The article above was edited by Amanda Ardigó.
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