Embracing equity every day, not just International Women’s Day

By Jo Field, Executive Manager of Disability and Community Development

The 2023 theme for International Women’s Day is ‘Embrace Equity’. It aims to highlight the difference between equity and equality, and about how action on both levels is required for true inclusion and belonging.

It’s a very important conversation to have. After all, early on in the women’s movement, the goal was to achieve equality. There was a sense that, if we got that, it would be an even playing field.

We’ve since realised that it isn’t the case. Even if you achieve equality as a first step, there continues to be disadvantages and vulnerabilities faced by individuals. And many of these barriers are systemic. That is something that became abundantly clear to me early on in my career as a social worker, especially through my work in child protection - that not everyone has the same opportunities and circumstances in life.

I saw, over and over again, how female children and adults experienced disadvantage before they even got to the start line of equality. And that disadvantage and lack of power gave very unfair and unintended consequences.

It is hard to get equal pay for a job unless there are equitable circumstances to get that job in the first place. And, when you get there, you may have different needs which make it more challenging for you perform well in the job.

For example: A woman who lives with disability may be competing for a role against someone who doesn’t. How can we be assured that she has the resources to compete fairly for the role in the first place? And secondly, that she gets the same pay that a man would?

And, when she’s in the role, how do we ensure that she has an accessible and inclusive workplace, with – say – accessible toilets, at a bare minimum? Or affordable childcare, if she has children?

My current role, as Executive Manager of Disability and Community Development at Feros Care, is about building resilience and empathy within our teams to ensure everyone has a sense of social justice, and is motivated to do something about it.

In our work in Local Area Coordination, it’s about looking holistically at what each participant needs in their life to get to both equality and equity. Scanning the horizon, anticipating where challenges and opportunities may be, and doing community capacity building that addresses them. Not just relying on individual capacity building to create change.

After all, that’s the true intent of the NDIS – to make all communities inclusive, so individuals don’t have to do all the work.

The good news is that our world is full of people who will push boundaries and advocate for others. And there are many role models out there pushing the way for what can be achieved.

But we also need to take responsibility as a society and community to ensure equity barriers are minimised. And while it’s always great to see the bigger changes in policy and law, I’m also drawn to the smaller, everyday changes people can make.

After all, it’s attitudinal change that breaks down equity and equality barriers. And there’s a way to go. I’m very happy to be part of an organisation doing the work, day after day, to contribute positively to that attitudinal change.

Jo's top tips for aiming for a equitable society:

• Don’t be afraid to speak up. If you observe and you see things that need to change, jump right in there. If your neighbour, for example, talks about something in an unhelpful way, you might challenge them to think about it from a different perspective. It’s all part of working to dispel stereotypes.  
• If you are part of a local community organisation – for example, a sports club – challenging them to think about more inclusivity for more individuals, for example, people with disability. While people with disability don’t need us to stand up for them, it’s important to stand together with them as allies. 
• Surround yourself with positive role models, people who aren’t afraid to stand up and say things, people that aren’t buying into myths. 
• Above all, be kind, be thoughtful.