International Women’s Day 2023 - let’s #EmbraceEquity

By Michelle Bailey

On the 8th of March each year we celebrate International Women’s Day (IWD). This day celebrates the social, economic, political and cultural achievements of women. The theme for International Women’s Day 2023 is #EmbraceEquity and like every other year also highlights the need for speeding up gender parity (the equal contribution of women and men in every part of life).

I will openly admit that when I saw the theme of IWD 2023 as ‘equity’ I was a little confused. Just like the people I mention below; I too wasn’t sure what this actually meant. I was concerned that a theme had been chosen which no one would understand. However, the more I have dived into it, I’ve realised that this one word carries so much weight and it needs to be brought to everyone’s attention for the exact reason that it seems (at least to me) that no one really understands what it means. We need to shift the narrative.

What do people think the word “equity” means?

I asked a range of different people what the word ‘equity’ meant to them and generally speaking I was given the same broad answer, that equity meant having some form of property, or something to do with money. When I asked specifically about ‘gender equity’ most individuals admitted they weren’t sure what this meant, with one stating they thought gender equity was something to do with fair pay for women when compared to men.

What does the dictionary say?

The value of a company's shares; the value of a property after all charges and debts have been paid.

-        Shares in a company which do not pay a fixed amount of interest.

-        A situation in which everyone is treated equally.

-        A system of natural justice allowing a fair judgment in a situation that is not covered by the existing laws.

[Source: Oxford Learners Dictionary- Oxford University Press]

On International Women’s Day 2023 why are we talking about equity and what does it actually mean?

Equity- giving each individual person the things they need to be successful. We cannot assume that giving everyone the exact same thing will make people equal, as this itself assumes that every individual has started out from the same place. However, we know that this isn’t the case, therefore we cannot give everyone the same thing because everyone isn't the same.

Equity vs Equality

Equity is often confused as being the same as equality. Equality being two things with the same value. For example, there are two children who are both thirsty and have been given a glass of milk-this is equality. However, one of these children has a dairy intolerance and so requires a glass of almond milk (other milk alternatives are available!)- this is equity.

So, to put it simply equality means providing the same to all. Equity means recognising that we do not all start from the same place and must acknowledge and adjust imbalances.

‘The goal of equity is to change systemic and structural barriers that get in the way of people's ability to thrive’ (source: IWD 2023)

What can ‘embracing’ equity look like?

Embrace - to accept, adopt, and espouse willingly and enthusiastically.

Can you imagine living in a world where everyone’s differences are celebrated? Living in a world that is gender equal? Could there be a world that is inclusive, diverse, where discrimination no longer exists? Can we remove stereotypes and bias, both conscious and unconscious? Can there be a world where we no longer need to discuss the differences between men and women, were there is equal contribution in every dimension of life? According to the Global Gender Gap Report 2022 this won’t be possible for over 130 years!

That’s why it is so important that we talk about it and raise awareness so that we can #EmbraceEquity. I truly hope that I can personally raise my child in a world that embraces both men and women equally and with equity, this is just one of the many reasons why I am so passionate about IWD.

In order to embrace equity, we have to acknowledge that we are all different. Men and women are raised differently, we live within diverse societies, gender stereotypes still occur within many households and there is a large amount of unconscious bias in the societies we live in. It’s also about recognising that the rise of women is not about the fall of men.

UK work policies

I have witnessed the difference between equality and equity in the form of maternity vs adoption policies. Thankfully, my experience has been very positive, however a friend of mine was presented with a maternity policy renamed as an adoption policy when an alternative wasn’t available! The company in question didn’t even have an adoption policy, hence renaming their maternity one. I should just add here that they were then forced to review their policy as the UK’s statutory maternity and adoption policies are different. But I’d argue that this difference does not equate to equity because not enough thought and consideration (in my opinion) has gone into understanding the UK adoption process.

Just to be clear I’m not arguing that the time off after birth/adoption or pay or anything like that should be different, in fact I believe that firms should ensure these are the same to achieve equality; but what if firms took into consideration the needs of expectant parents during pregnancy and the adoption process.

Is the time off needed during pregnancy for appointments the same for adoption? The short answer is ‘not in my experience’, having spoken to both birth parents and adoptive parents. Within the adoption process I underwent visits from a social worker every week for 10 weeks- but there wasn’t a policy to support allowing time off to attend these appointments. I had to complete six days of in-person training with my local authority, but again the time off for this wasn’t written into a policy. Instead, thankfully, the company I worked for were incredibly understanding and I was able to work from home and be flexible with my time, but not everyone is able to do this and I personally know a lot of individuals who had to take this as holiday, or delay their adoption journey until they could find the time during school holidays to complete all pre-adoption courses, screening and even meetings for adoption approval.

The UK statutory adoption policy allows for 5 appointments after a child has been matched but makes no consideration for everything required before you are even approved as an adopter, let alone afterwards. Policies need to demonstrate equality, however should the UK statutory policies do more to set an example that can be passed down to firms, where they work harder to understand the individual requirements of women who are pregnant and those prospective parents (both women and men) who are going through the adoption process in order to achieve equity? I’m sure that some firms do, such as has been my experience, however is enough being done to create equity? From my peers experience I would argue ‘no’.

Another policy that I question surrounds sick pay. Currently under UK law, women who suffer from severe period pains meaning they are unable to work must take this time as sick days/sick pay. Lots of women don’t even get sick pay! Spain recently became the first European country to offer menstrual leave for women. Is this something that should be made more accessible to women in the UK? Would this create more gender equity, or will it make more of a divide between males and females within the workplace? I don’t have the answer for that, only time will tell how successful it is in Spain, however many Asian countries and ad-hoc companies around the world have similar policies in place and believe that it paves the way to gender equality and gender equity. Should medical conditions that only affect women be afforded more consideration in order to achieve equity?

But now for something more positive

I wanted to comment on something which I witnessed that has really stuck with me. We recently had some team photos taken and within our group it was made very clear (by the males of the group) that they were not to be positioned any higher than the females. We were all seen to be equals because that is how we work as a company. I felt really proud that day to be part of such a diverse yet inclusive team. We all have different backgrounds, different interests, and varying areas of expertise and yet we come together as one team, on level footing. Opportunities are afforded to everyone, tailored to us specifically to allow us to achieve, to learn new things and to ultimately excel. I believe that as a firm, on a daily basis we #EmbraceEquity.

Today, the world we live in means that it is more likely that gender stereotypes, discrimination and bias will be called out by people. Women (and men) are no longer keeping quiet and are finding their voices. More than ever, we see a diverse representation of women and we also see men’s roles in society changing too. It is no longer about women having to succeed in a man’s world. Every single person has a role to play in calling out for change as success will only happen if this is done as a collective. I think it can easily be argued that much more needs to be done to create gender equity. To #EmbraceEquity, first people need to understand what it means. I hope this has been one takeaway from my piece today.

And finally…

I hope that you all enjoy the image of myself and my little one giving ‘equity a huge embrace’ (IWD 2023’s social image). I’m sure you can imagine the fun and games I had getting a four-year-old to cooperate! But like I mention above, I feel it is important to get them involved and raise them in a world where equity exists. Whilst they are too young at the minute, in years to come I want to look back and reflect on this moment and share my experiences so that they grow up in a world that will #EmbraceEquity.