March is Women's History Month and Wednesday, March 8, brings a worldwide focus on issues such as gender equality, reproductive rights, and violence and abuse against women.
Today is International Women's Day, and the theme in 2023 is Embrace Equity.
The campaign hopes to spark conversations about why equal opportunities aren't enough and why equal isn't always fair.
As part of a program for the NBCUniversal Women's Network, empower platform Fierce Lab brought in experts in workplace issues and leadership to talk about the difference between equality and equity.
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"Equity and equality are often used interchangeably but we know that not everyone starts out with all of the same skills. Therefore, when it comes to equity, it might be fair to give us all the same thing but if I'm starting from a different place, i may need different resources," said Jacqueline V. Twillie, the president of ZeroGap.
"I think each of us present and need different things to succeed. And I think women as a whole need different things than men. And given that a lot of companies are close to reaching the 50/50 pipeline especially in the white collar places. Recognizing that, we still have a gap in the top of the pipeline," said Priya Patel, an associate partner with management consulting experts McKinsey & Company. "There's only one in four women at the executive level but a lot of companies are focusing at the early entry point and that's not enough. We need to think about the resources individuals need to stay and progress so they can also reach those executive ranks."
On its website, IWD says" "Equality is the goal, and equity is the means to get there. Through the process of equity, we can reach equality."
