What is equity?

What is equity? I do not know. I think it has something to do with money. Given the capitalistic foundations our society is founded upon, I find this conclusion possible. Please, allow me to explain.

When I first learned about equity, I was shown the typical graphic which contrasts equality and equity. The picture is divided into two parts, each part showing a brick wall at a baseball game with three people of various heights standing behind the fence, onlooking toward the athletic spectacle. The first part, representing equality, shows each person standing on a box, all the boxes are the same height. Since the people are of different heights, only those tall enough can see the baseball game, leaving the shortest person blind to the action, despite the added height from the box. The second part, represents equity, in which we see the same scenario, except this time, the boxes are redistributed, so that the tallest person has no box, the second tallest has one box (as before), and the third tallest has two boxes, allowing all three people to see over the wall.

To me, these seems like a textbook definition, one which, to the inquisitive mind, leaves more to desire. Is this a useful way to define equity? It is simple, but is that a bad thing? How does this compare to real life? The wall seems like a great place to start as any other. The wall is a barrier which prevents something, inhibits an action, denies access to the athletic show, restricts the opportunity for some to watch the game. This barrier, given its nature, has predetermined that a select portion of the population will not see the game. This brings us to the people. An identity is a term that categorically describes something about a person, such as race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, ability, religion/spirituality, nationality, and socioeconomic status. I guess height would fall under ability in this example. Some identities can change, some identities cannot change. I would argue that most are pre-determined, meaning you do not get to choose your identities. Some are determined the moment you are born, such as race, some are determined by the context of your origin, such as socioeconomic status, or even religion. I was born into a Christian culture and for a portion of my life I was identified as a Christian. But now, I am an atheist; I did not choose this, it just happened. I was born believing I was heterosexual, most likely due to the oppression of the non-heterosexual, but now I have realized I am bisexual. Height is both an outcome of genetics and adequate environment/nutrition to realize that genetic potential. My point is this: No one should be denied access to basic rights due to their identities. Of course, those not tall enough to ride a rollercoaster should be denied access, for safety concerns, and since riding is a luxury, not a right, preventing access is not an injustice. But access to public spaces is a right, which brings me back to the wall.

A barrier by nature excludes people. How do barriers arise? They are made by people in power; just like the brick wall, it was made by those of tall height. They did not look beyond their point of view, to consider a shorter perspective and how this wall may affect those of different identities. Even if the consequences are unintentional, the consequences still exist. This is why having people from diverse backgrounds in places of power is critical to prevent more barriers from being created; a diverse group consisting of multiple identities will be better equipped to understand how any action could affect the population. Some barriers are intentional, built by prejudice people in power, for example, segregation laws. More can be said about those who historically have had and continue to have power. White men and their perspectives as white men have permeated our society to its core, specifically regarding the barriers in society. The barriers built by white male ideologies will continue to reproduce a social hierarchy with them on top. The practice of red lining is an example of barriers, imposed by white males, which continue to drastically effect the opportunities some people have.

So how do we prevent barriers from denying access? Equity proposes the re-distribution of resources, so that each person has what is needed for all to have basic human rights. In our example, the boxes are the resources, and who gets what is the redistribution. What does this look like in the messy context of the real world? In education, the allocation of resources, such as funding, should assist those who cannot afford attending a university or college, and those resources should be distributed based on need. Accommodations can be made for those who have learning disabilities or other barriers which impact their learning, such as allowing extra time to complete assignments or exams. I would assume the major barrier to accessing the opportunities provided through a college degree comes from the monetary cost. Why does college cost so much? Or why can some people afford college while others can’t?

Equity does nothing to dismantle the barriers that will continue to reproduce these inequities. This is where the concept of justice enters the picture. In another iteration of our pictorial example, there is a third section which shows the same three people of different heights, but in this image, there are no boxes, instead the brick wall is replace by a chain link fence, allowing anyone of any height to see the baseball game. The barrier to access which caused the inequity was removed, and I believe this is the essence of justice.

How do we remove barriers in postsecondary education? Lowering cost or possibly reparations, I am not an expert, I do not know if anything I have said is useful or will make things worse. But I will continue to ponder if I am upholding the barriers within postsecondary science education or if I am dismantling the barriers within postsecondary science education.

An existentialist in crisis,

JLS