What is Equity?

The goal of this website is to shed light on a plant based lifestyle through a lens of equity, however there are many different interpretations of “equity” and these have many manifestations in the plant based sector. While often confused with “equality,” “equity” is in fact a different idea. In society, people have different levels of privilege to begin with. In an equal society, all people would be given the same resources. While lifting everyone up, this system would still privilege those who were privileged to begin with, and disadvantage those who were disadvantaged before. In an equitable society, people would be given different resources depending on their privilege in order to level the playing field. In an equitable system, an underprivileged person would be given more aid than a privileged person; aid corresponds with one’s position in society.

Inequity is a system in which access to aid and resources does not correspond with lack of privilege. In society, inequity often means that those who are most privileged have the most access to resources and additional privilege, while those who need it most have the least access to it. Take education for example. The wealthiest and most successful members of society often have the resources to send their children to private school, or they live in wealthy communities with highly funded, strong public schools. Less privileged members of society often do not have the resources to send their children to private school, and they may live in less wealthy communities, with underfunded schools. Those who are underprivileged and would benefit most from strong educational resources are not given access to it. Instead, those who have already achieved success have these resources. This is an inequitable system.