The theme for this year’s International Women’s Day is #EmbraceEquity. It’s a theme that is designed to start conversations all over the world about the important distinction between equity and equality. These two words are often used interchangeably, but understanding how they differ provides an invaluable insight into the best actions we can all take to help drive gender parity.

The International Women’s Day website starts with a definition of both words:

“Equality means each individual or group of people is given the same resources or opportunities.

Equity recognises that each person has different circumstances, and allocates the exact resources and opportunities needed to reach an equal outcome.”

In other words, the goal of equity is about addressing the barriers and imbalances that can prevent a person’s ability to succeed in the same way another person might succeed. It’s about recognising that equal opportunities alone don’t necessarily solve the challenges we face. Ultimately, it’s about creating long-term and sustainable solutions for women’s advancement.

This year we are featuring the stories of five women who are part of the Renewal SA team. Thank you to Chantal Milton, Adey Brecknock, Jess Reid-Smith, Cassie Childs and Jennifer de Livera who have shared their thoughts on what International Women’s Day means to them and the importance of gender equity.

As each of their experiences of work and working life demonstrates, we all take a different path to success and so the need to acknowledge and celebrate our differences is ever apparent. In order to make meaningful progress, we all have a part to play in actively supporting and embracing equity within our own sphere of influence.