Fighting for Equity and Equality for Women
The fight for equity and equality for women is an ongoing struggle with important implications not only in terms of representation but also in terms of economic opportunity and social justice. It has been shown that economies grow and prosper when women are empowered.
What is Equality?
Equality means that everyone is treated the same regardless of any differences in race, gender, or other factors. It means that everyone should have access to the same resources, rights, opportunities, responsibilities, and benefits. When it comes to gender equality for women specifically, it means that men and women should receive equal treatment in terms of wages, education, job opportunities, legal rights such as voting or owning property, etc.
What is Equity?
Equity takes into account individual differences when distributing resources or providing access to opportunity. The goal of equity is to ensure that everyone has what they need to succeed based on their individual circumstances. For example, if two people are given the same resources but one person needs more assistance because they come from an underprivileged background or lack certain skills/experience needed in order to succeed then equity would provide them with additional support to level the playing field. This could mean providing funding for educational programs or scholarships specifically targeted towards disadvantaged individuals in order to give them a better chance at success.
Why Does It Matter?
The distinction between equity and equality matters because it helps us understand how best to fight for gender parity. Equality alone isn’t enough if our goal is true gender parity—we need to ensure that all women have access to equitable resources so they can reach their full potential regardless of their backgrounds or circumstances. That’s why it’s important for us as feminists to advocate not just for equal treatment but also equitable access to opportunity so that all women can succeed no matter what barriers they may face along the way.
Gender Equality is one of the 17 sustainability goals of the United Nations Sustainable Development Groups and they have found we are making headway. There are more girls in school around the world today than 15 years ago, and most regions have achieved gender parity in primary education! There are more women than ever in the labor market but they are still given less worker rights. From sexual violence to exploitation, and uneven expectations of childcare and domestic responsibilities, women still have more challenges than men in the workplace.
The fight for equity and equality for women is an ongoing struggle with important implications not only in terms of representation but also in terms of economic opportunity and social justice. It has been shown that economies grow and prosper when women are empowered.
That is why Teneral Cellars will always employ women and minorities in its supply chain and vendor choices and why we give back 10% of profits to charities that work to advance women and achieve equity. Last year our CEO and founder Jill Osur spoke about the state of equality in the wine industry, “Only ten percent of winemakers are women, and a scant 0.1% of all winemakers are Black. In the wine industry at large, female sommeliers make only 70 cents for every dollar that their male counterparts earn. This shocking disparity is why we started Teneral Cellars. It’s why our mission is to reshape the wine industry to reflect its largest consumer- women!”
Understanding the difference between equity and equality can help us make sure we’re advocating not only for equal treatment but also equitable access so that all women have what they need to succeed regardless of their backgrounds or circumstances. True gender parity requires both equal treatment as well as equitable resource distribution—and together we can make sure this vision becomes a reality!