Changing the dialogue - Equity vs Equality

Reflecting on the journey from Women in Hospitality and Travel-Tech to RaizUp.

Yesterday at the Phocuswright Diversity in Leadership Event, after a discussion about CHANGE, I got thinking if the world was really changing or we just talk about it (the word is literally part of every conversation). I feel sometimes we talk too much about gender equality from different viewpoints instead of acknowledging and celebrating the different layers of diverse individuals bring. Time to change the narrative and talk about individual equity. 

Let me give you a little bit of background on how I got here...

“A good girl does this”,

“Girls don't' do that”,

“When are you getting married?”

When are you having children? How long do you want to travel alone?

 “I know this career thing is important to you, but it is time to get real, have something stable.”

Questions and assumptions from my everyday life, being brought up in a culture and living in a society where success is defined by endless working hours, always available culture and the role of a woman is centred around becoming a mother, the shoulder to cry on, the caregiver.

Whilst my mother is my strongest role model, and she was a pioneer in many things in her generation, at the same time she is a product of her generation where two elements mentioned are not compatible.

I have always lived my life in an organic way taking on roles wherever I saw myself evolving towards, sometimes being the only woman in the room, being the only one under 30 in the team counting these as a blessing and based on luck, instead of celebrating the achievements that kept me going, despite being strong and thrive for more.

It wasn’t until my daughter’s birth in 2018 that I started to question these expectations, the overall idea of fitting in and owning my identity, layers of diversity so my daughter would not have to face them.

This is how my mission with RaizUp started, in 2019 based on my own professional journey as a community called Women in Hospitality and Travel-Tech as my own peer group. I have the privilege to lead this community that grew into an international organisation with over 7000 members from 54 countries with a volunteer team of 42 amazing people. I am particularly proud to witness the transformation of empowered individuals and organisations who are looking to make sustainable change for their teams. This is the journey where I realised how strong I actually am and the pride I take in being authentic, being myself.

So what is the biggest challenge we continue to face today? At this point, you may have seen the McKinsey Report 2020 Women at the Workplace Report shows that one in four women are contemplating downshifting their careers or leaving the workforce completely. That drives the narrative towards achieving equality at home and in the workplace, whether it’s a balanced distribution of household tasks and childcare. I have the privilege of having a partner who supports my career and is an amazing co-parent to our two children and at work, I am able to make sustainable change happen the way I want. We are forming new habits and, as a result, we are gradually changing the world. In fact, we should all encourage one another to challenge assumptions so that, rather than relapsing into old patterns, we may collectively establish a new definition of success. And while we're at it, we're staying strong and self-assured.

Here comes the question again has changed at all in the past 18 months?

The diversity discussion began with women's empowerment, urging women to utilize their voices and take bold strides ahead. The topic then shifted to gender equality and treating genders fairly. The official definition of Diversity is the range of human differences, including but not limited to race, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, social class, physical ability or attributes, religious or ethical values system, national origin, and political beliefs.

Some of my layers of diversity are - I am a woman, I am a working mother, I am diabetic, I have a degree, I am Hungarian, Caucasian, Multilingual, 18 years of work experience and some call me GEN Y. While recent developments in Germany (where I reside) such as gender quota bill for company boards, the boundaries of equality are still there.

I think the moment has come for us to carry the conversation further than empowerment and equality. We are all unique and we might potentially be short in the fight for justice and impartiality by concentrating on uniformity (which is exactly what equality is).

There has been a recent discussion on gender equality, which is all about determining the value that various genders give. For me, this is the appropriate route to take, but I don't think it goes far enough. We must advocate for individual equity, which, in my opinion, means valuing each individual for their whole contribution without criticizing them and allowing them to be honest at their core. By pursuing individual equity, we can empower and remove obstacles for everyone, regardless of gender, age, socioeconomic class, country, religion, sexual orientation, or any of the other labels we are assigned throughout our lives.

Above all, our trust and standing for our own equity must be ensured.How can we put the above into practice?

Four words: Equitable Employee Lifecycle Management.

1.      Strategy. Having a strategic workforce plan designed to deliver the corporate    strategy

2.      Attract. Being an appealing inclusive employer

3.      Recruit. Enabling all talent to successfully apply

4.      Onboard. Ensuring all talent is understood and all staff trained

5.      Learning and Development. All talent represented and included 

6.      Reward, Recognition, & Benefits. All talent’s needs catered for

7.      Progression & Performance. All talent performance management consistent

8.      Retain / Exit. Talent that wants to stay. Learn from & manage exits 

(Credit Steven AJ Cox)

Stay tuned for part two to find out more about the “how” 

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