Equality vs Equity

The YMCA of Metropolitan Dallas is committed to creating a more inclusive and equitable community where everyone has the opportunity to thrive. While equality ensures equal treatment, equity goes beyond, addressing systemic barriers and providing tailored support to help individuals achieve their full potential. Through our equity initiatives, we work to dismantle these barriers, fostering an environment where everyone—regardless of their background or circumstances—can access opportunities and resources needed for success.

Equality: An approach in which all members of a society are afforded opportunities, access, and treatment in the same manner.

Equity: The guarantee of fair treatment, access, opportunity, and advancement for all, where individuals are not disadvantaged from achieving their potential because of their background or social position.

Equality vs Equity:

The size of the individuals in the illustration represents the impact that systemic inequality/inequity has on an individual’s ability to achieve its potential.
The fruit in the trees represents the opportunities that are more likely to be attained once institutional, organizational, and societal barriers are removed.
The boxes represent organizational, institutional, or societal support systems and/or infrastructure.
Under equality, the boxes for each individual are equal – or the same size, which prevents some of the individuals from reaching the fruit.

Under equity, the different-sized boxes represent the removal of organizational, institutional, or societal barriers, and therefore, all individuals can reach the fruit.