The topic of 2023’s International Women’s Day is #EmbraceEquity. The aim of this year’s theme is to make it clear that equity isn’t a nice-to-have, it’s a must-have. In this International Women’s Day blog post, we asked four women from the Femme Palette community to share what equity means to them and how they practice embracing it.
As we’re focusing on equity this year, let’s take a minute to explain what it means. By definition, equity refers to fairness, impartiality, or justice. It refers to the idea of treating people fairly and giving them what they deserve, based on their individual circumstances and needs. This can include issues related to social, economic, and political rights, as well as issues of access and opportunity. In essence, equity is about creating a level playing field for everyone, regardless of their background or identity, in order to ensure that everyone has the same chance to succeed and thrive.
Equality and equity are two related but distinct concepts. Equality refers to treating everyone the same, regardless of their individual circumstances, while equity means giving people what they need to be successful based on their unique circumstances.
While equality can work in some situations, it can overlook differences in individual needs and experiences, which can lead to unequal outcomes. On the other hand, equity takes into account differences in background, identity, and other factors, and aims to provide extra support or resources to those who need it, in order to level the playing field and ensure that everyone has an equal chance to succeed. Understanding the difference between these two concepts is important in promoting fairness.
Daniela Felletti
DEI Consultant & Educator
As a DEI Practitioner, I am calling out leaders and organizations to truly embrace equity by transforming their good intentions into qualitative actions and in a more structured and strategic way.
That said, I continue to not deliver DEI talks that are not connected to long-term initiatives outcomes. I am careful of where I share my voice avoiding performative effects by inviting my potential clients to reflect before they join the IWD campaign. Let's remember that it is not a celebration, but more of honouring the International Women's Rights Day for the rights we have been so far able to own and for the ones that we are still fighting for.
To Embrace Equity we must not exclude intersectionality. We can not exclude acknowledgement of how privilege plays unconsciously and consciously in the workplace and society. Men should join us as allies as they are an important part of the solution to #EmbraceEquity. Being passive is not being inclusive. We need more focus on systemic change and to do so, we need to look further and beyond compliance.
Regina Kluchova
Chief of People at Bonami
In the modern workplace, achieving gender equity is an inevitably important goal. It still nowadays is a concept difficult to achieve, though and that is why the role of People & Culture teams matters. During my career so far, these have been the areas where People Business Partnering helped business owners and leaders to embrace equity in their workforce.
Alexandra Mansilla
UX Researcher
Throughout my working and personal life, I have experienced situations where equity and fairness were often lacking. Unfortunately, it is something that happens on a daily basis, that we somehow normalize.
Embracing equity requires a commitment to making it a part of our daily life. As a woman of colour, I feel is my obligation and my right to fight for a world where my possibilities do not depend on my appearance or where I come from.
How? I educate myself: I learn about the experiences of individuals and groups who have been historically marginalized or excluded.
I reflect on my assumptions and biases and challenge them to consider other perspectives and experiences. I am aware that I can re-educate myself. The starting point is to reflect on oneself and have the will to improve as a person.
Another important thing is to speak up and call it out when we witness discriminatory or prejudiced behaviours, don’t stay silent. Also, being mindful of the language I use, avoid using offensive terms, and use gender-neutral language when appropriate. One thing that is directly in my hands is to ensure that my personal environments are inclusive and welcoming to individuals from all backgrounds.
Embracing equity is an ongoing process, and it requires a constant effort to make meaningful changes. It comes from each of us, we can do our bit to make society equitable and just. Like all changes, it has to start somewhere.
Sarah Watkins
Customer Success Business Partner at SThree
I took my first corporate role in a global staffing institution just over a decade ago, in what felt like very different times. Having trained at a music conservatoire, my first experience of working life was as a brass musician in a sharply gendered culture. For a girl to rise to prominence in this bawdy, macho, sexist culture was unthinkable. And this explains why I didn’t question the similarities in environment when I started in my role as a trainee recruitment consultant. Yet since then I have seen many extremely competent, tenured and dedicated women leaders leave the business. And now, due to the rise of the millennial generation, young ambitious women are prepared to do the same. The reason? A lack of equity in the workplace.
For me, the most important aspect of quality is how employees are treated. When applied correctly, I believe equity should help to ensure fairness and equality in outcomes and opportunities, not just in policies. I therefore strive to be a good ally to my colleagues, to enable those who are less confident to speak up, and to encourage everyone to share a sense of belonging and acceptance. Women leaders are just as ambitious as men, but are more likely to experience belittling microaggressions, such as being mistaken for someone more junior. From my experience, women tend to do more to support employee wellbeing and take the lead on inclusion. But this critical work can spread them thin and goes mostly unrewarded.
Equitable opportunities and outcomes can enhance the effectiveness of a team and produce better results. Everyone benefits from a shared sense of fairness and mutual support, even in businesses such as recruitment where competitiveness is an important factor in achieving potential. To foster individual achievement within an equitable environment is a difficult balancing act, but one that pays dividends.
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Want to take part in honuring International Women’s Day this year? Join the movement by sharing your own story for #IWD of how you #EmbraceEquity on your socials and inspire others. Let’s make equity a non-negotiable in the modern workplace!
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