Equity vs. Equality

Why is being Equitable Important?

Equity, Equality, Public Health, Community, Outreach

You may have heard of the terms equity and equality quite often lately. Why is that? What's the difference anyway? Aren't they the same thing?

Though they may sound similar, the implementation of equity and equality mean different outcomes when it comes to the groups of marginalized people being served in specific systems.

According to the Milken Institute School of Public Health:

"Equality means each individual or group of people is given the same resources or

opportunities. Equity recognizes that each person has different circumstances and

allocates the exact resources and opportunities needed to reach an equal outcome."

“Interaction Institute for Social Change | Artist: Angus Maguire.” interactioninstitute.org

Equity is a process and equality is an outcome of that process.

How does Equity Improve our Community's Outcomes?

Equality means that resources are shared based on what each person needs in order to adequately level the playing field. In other words, reducing the disparities among the vulnerable populations so that health equity can be achieved. As we know, health refers to many things in our everyday life.

Achieving equity within our community means that we have to meet our community members where they're at. We (as organizations, providers, etc.), cannot assume to know what our community members need nor want based off what we believe to be true. We must take into account what the community is experiencing and expressing they need, in order to have better or more successful outcomes within their roles as a community member.

One way to do this is to reduce as many barriers as possible and to increase access and knowledge of community resource and services. We must also make sure that language or cultural barriers do not further alienate underserved or unserved community members.

When a community is responsive to the needs of the most vulnerable, we can help to improve the entire community as a whole. That can include many things, such as the safety of our community, how resources are distributed and allocated, and increased awareness of how to best collaborate and achieve mutual goals and outcomes of service providers.

The goal is always the same; to help as many people as possible.

Linked below is the Institute's article on this topic that simplifies the concept for further reading:

https://onlinepublichealth.gwu.edu/resources/equity-vs-equality/

We invite feedback and community led problem-solving. Sometimes the best solutions come from the very people we are trying to serve!