Fairness and equality. You may have heard both terms. Additionally, you may know that they have something to do with fairness.
Your school or workplace may have talked about “diversity, equity, and inclusion.” You may have heard of the concept of health equity.
But what exactly do these terms mean and how are they different? Here’s what you need to know about fairness and equality and how to achieve them.
Here is a basic overview of fairness and equality. said Dr. Alford Young, professor of sociology and African American studies at the University of Michigan. health He defines the term as follows:
Check out the cartoon below for a visual representation of how fairness and equality are different.
In an equal lottery, each person is given the same box. Therefore, access and distribution of resources is evenly distributed throughout the population.
However, in that scenario, the shortest person still cannot see beyond the fence. And the tallest person was pushed even higher over the fence that he could already see.
On the other hand, in a fair lottery, people stand on one or two boxes or are given nothing. Therefore, access and distribution of resources can be widened as needed.
Providing fairness allows all three people to see over the fence at the same level, regardless of their height.
Young said equality and fairness should be considered separately. Both concepts are related to fairness and justice, but how societies achieve them and what they ultimately become differ.
“People often use the terms interchangeably, but they shouldn’t,” Young said.
Equality assumes that everyone is the same and everyone needs the same things. But some people start with less and need more, according to the United Nations.
Even if everyone gets something equally, such as a company giving every employee a computer to work from home, there are still things you need, like reliable Wi-Fi to use your devices. Some people don’t have it yet.
And in those cases, they can’t grow, said Regina Davis Moss, Ph.D., MPH, deputy executive director of the American Public Health Association. health. The goal should be equity, Davis-Moss said, because equality still leaves room for different outcomes.
“Driven by the focus on equity is the long-standing recognition that certain social outcomes vary widely and require different responses, or that different populations need different things. I think so,” Young added.
In the example above, a fair approach would be to identify the employees who need Wi-Fi access and provide them with a way to access their computers and Wi-Fi. In that scenario, all employees have the resources they need to do their jobs.
Young points out that we cannot achieve equality without first achieving equity. “Equity becomes a way to focus on the fact that you can’t immediately achieve equality just by providing a set of resources to a large number of people at the same level. That’s not very helpful,” Young explains. did.
So, is the word “equality” outdated? No, Davis Moss replied. Equality works when everyone needs the same thing.
“In some places, yes, absolutely, you should consider:” [equality]” Davis-Moss explained. [unfairness]So it’s not enough to give everyone the same thing. ”
According to Davis Moss, equity is as much a process as it is an end goal. When it comes to the ultimate goal, achieving equity means that no part of a person’s identity interferes with their ability to grow, Davis-Moss said. According to the Equality and Human Rights Commission, these identities include:
- Year
- hindrance
- sex
- sex
- marriage or civil union
- pregnancy
- race
- religion
- sexual orientation
From a process perspective, being just means recognizing, taking responsibility for, and changing the institutional and structural barriers that prevent people from thriving. And those affected by inequality should be meaningfully involved in the process of change, Davis-Moss said.
Some may consider these targeted efforts themselves racist and discriminatory, Young said. But that’s not the case.
“If people of a certain sect [has] If you’re suffering from neglect, abuse or lack of access, the only way to fix it is through specialized intervention,” Young explained.
Calls for greater equity span everything from education to jobs to politics. However, the systemic and structural barriers that prevent people from thriving in each of these areas can, in turn, prevent people from thriving. [from] According to Davis Moss, they are as healthy as they can be.
For example, inequalities in education may have prevented them from attending university. This may make it difficult to find a job with health insurance or a good salary.
“If you live in a low-income area because that’s all you can afford, you may be living in an area with poor housing that impacts your health, whether it’s exposure to lead or being densely populated. .and you saw it happening [the COVID-19 pandemic]that people were exposed,” Davis-Moss explained.
The COVID-19 pandemic has particularly highlighted the need for health equity. Ethnic minorities and low-income areas were hardest hit.
Regarding the coronavirus pandemic, which began in March 2020, Young said, “In the first 14 months, different people need very different things, even though they are affected by the same health crisis.” “It was one of the most remarkable times in my life when I realized that I was in a situation where I was in a situation where I was in a situation where I was not alone,” he said. . ”
But COVID-19 is just one disease that disproportionately affects certain populations. For example, the LGBTQ+ community has higher rates of mental health conditions than other communities.
Asian and Pacific Islander women are more likely to get stomach cancer. And black Americans have higher rates of diabetes than other people, Davis-Moss noted.
Davis-Moss said health equity requires us to understand these disparities. Certain areas may not have enough healthy food or access to care. It can be difficult to find transportation or take time off from work to see a health care provider. These factors can make chronic disease management more difficult for some people.
Of course, fair practices will help certain targeted groups and people. But having more equity will benefit society as a whole, even if you are not the direct target of that equity practice. This is especially true when it comes to health equity.
“When we are unhealthy, it affects the products we produce. It affects our competitiveness as a nation. It affects who enters the workforce, who provides care. “What happens to us as we get older?” Davis Moss said. “So we can’t afford for some people to be sicker than others.”
Our reliance on technology, rather than face-to-face interaction, can cause us to forget how interconnected we are and how much we need the well-being of others to be happy ourselves. Sometimes you don’t even realize it, Young says.
“You have to learn a lot to understand how other people’s living situations affect you,” Young added.
Education, politics and entertainment are some of the areas where society has made significant and equitable progress, Young said.
Yes, there’s still work to be done, “but that doesn’t ignore the significant changes that have occurred over time,” Young said. Rather than criticize anything that isn’t “absolutely perfect,” Young suggested recognizing that change has occurred and building on it.
According to Davis Moss, economics is one area where equity is needed, especially when it comes to health.
“The need to earn a living wage will have a huge impact on health,” Davis-Moss explained.
To make health more equitable, the Department of Health and Human Services has identified several Healthy People 2030 goals for the next 10 years, including three:
- Increase the number of national surveys that collect data on the LGBTQ+ population.
- Reduce the proportion of adults with disabilities who delay preventive care because of cost.
- Increase the proportion of people who have access to safe drinking water.
So how do we know when we’ve reached equity, whether it’s health equity or any other type of equity?
“People affected by the same conditions and circumstances generally end up the same,” Young responded. “Fundamentally, if something similar happens to you that has happened to someone else, you have an equal opportunity to endure, survive, cope, and take on the challenge just like everyone else. about it.”
Davis-Moss said equity depends on policy at all levels. So it’s not just federal policy, but also state policy and organizational policy, such as when choosing executives.
“If the board is not representative [of] Folks, there are no voices at the table to make sure those voices are heard,” Davis-Moss explained.
But there are still things we can do to promote equity, even on a more personal level.
“Think about it in a modest and basic way,” Young said. “I think a lot of the time, a commitment to change comes from people trying to think, ‘How can we change the community as a whole or the environment as a whole?'”
For example, consider one of these five areas:
- live
- work
- worship
- spend your free time
- go to school
“Think about who is unfairly disadvantaged in those areas, who is suffering, and what services can we provide to those people,” Young said. Once you identify these people, Young says, ask questions such as:
- Can you partner with them and become friends with them? Can you be an ally to help them feel better accepted, to help them be better aware of opportunities and resources?
- Is there the material capacity to create change in these areas by funding programs and initiatives? Are there support services to improve people’s conditions?
- Can you use your status to become a leader in your field and make a difference?
Any amount of support for stocks is important, Young said. Whether you only have the means to be a friend, confidant, or supporter, or you have the financial or material means to contribute to more substantive change, anything helps.
“You can never be too conscious. We assume what we know, and other people already understand. But they don’t understand,” Davis-Moss said. “So it starts with that conversation. But it also continues with meaningful conversations with those who are affected. [inequities] Because ultimately they are the experts in their own experience. ”
Equality and fairness are essential concepts from the perspective of fairness and justice. However, they have two different meanings.
Equality is access to a set of resources and their equal distribution among individuals. But equity levels the playing field and allows everyone to thrive. Equity is access to or allocation of resources according to need.
You can help promote equity in your community, even if it simply means becoming a friend and ally to someone who is disadvantaged in your community.
