This year’s 2023 International Women’s Day theme is “Embrace Equity,” a call to action to spur discussion on equity vs. equality and how it is only through equity that that we can create a truly more inclusive world. One that acknowledges the current inequalities and what changes and resources are needed to move closer to the goal of equity where everyone has an opportunity for success even with different starting circumstances.
Companies, governments, and communities play a crucial role in creating this more equitable world through deliberate change and actions to more inclusively ensure that women and marginalized groups have access to resources, support and opportunity. The tourism sector is certainly no exception.
Equity vs. Equality: Why the Difference Matters
In fact, the tourism sector is in a good and unique position to act on the #EmbraceEquity campaign call from the official International Women’s Day website. One of the goals of the this year’s campaign theme is to get people talking about “Why equal opportunities aren’t enough.”
People start from different places, so true inclusion and belonging require equitable action.
When we embrace equity, we embrace diversity, and we embrace inclusion.
We embrace equity to forge harmony and unity, and to help drive success for all.
Equality is the goal, and equity is the means to get there.
Through the process of equity, we can reach equality.“
Before we move on, it’s important to understand the difference between the words equality and equity as they are often used incorrectly as synonyms. This IWD page does a good job breaking this down and providing examples of equity vs. equality.
“Equality means each individual or group of people is given the same resources or opportunities.”
“Equity recognizes that each person has different circumstances, and allocates the exact resources and opportunities needed to reach an equal outcome.”
In other words, in order to make our inequitable world more equitable, we need to acknowledge that a one-size-fits-all equal approach for everyone will not work to lift everyone up to a desired level of equality and success. For example, an equality approach might be to provide laptops to all students in the world without acknowledging that the lack of electricity and internet in many parts of the world will make those laptops obsolete and without desired results. An equity approach would aim to address the problems around access to electricity, internet, digital literacy and other circumstances that might prevent students from achieving success with the provided laptop.
Travel and Equity
In an ideal form, travel is all about celebrating diversity, valuing differences, breaking down stereotypes and bias, engaging local communities, and making places better for local people to live. At least that’s the goal for many people who work in tourism, and something that much mindful and sustainable travel achieves. We know, however, that sadly not all tourism and travelers live up to this ideal.
Rebuilding the tourism sector, deliberately pursuing greater participation from women and greater social impact is a way to get closer to this ideal. This inclusiveness promises not only to strengthen the sector and make it more resilient, but it will also help construct deeper and more transformative travel experiences for travelers that are closer to that ideal above.
With the landscape in mind, this article offers some specific ideas and mechanisms that tourism and travel can apply to empower women, support women entrepreneurs and businesses, and actively invest in communities to do so. Through all this, the travel sector can #EmbraceEquity and deliberately work towards making a more equitable and inclusive world.
