Equality or Equity: Why 50/50 Isn’t the Goal

by Similoluwa Ifedayo

A few weeks ago, I had a conversation with a great friend of mine, and he unconsciously opened my eyes to a few things I had been getting wrong while addressing some social issues like gender inequality, bad leadership, and poor youth involvement in power, among other things. However, this article centres on gender inequality.

Definition of Gender Inequality

Gender inequality is discrimination on the basis of sex or gender causing one sex or gender to be routinely privileged or prioritised over another. This manifests in various sectors, including leadership, family roles, education, finance, and business. In a recent article, I looked at gender inequality and child marriage.

My Initial View on Gender Inequality

Ever since I became aware of the term “gender inequality” and its consequences on the genders and nation, I have never felt comfortable with it. But the truth is: I always approached it as a war I need to win, and to win means to have a nation where in everything we do, we have 50 per cent women and 50 per cent men.

If we have this in everything from leadership, education, politics, finance to business, I have a win. This was because I believed that if girls and boys see this, they can see equality, a balance, and a 50/50 system. Here, no one feels like the majority, minority, or only.

A New Perspective on Equality

However, I realised that we can never have a 50/50 system in all aspects of life and everything we do. The world wasn’t created to be run that way, and we weren’t made to function that way. The question arises: Is equality possible? Yes. Will it take time? Yes, a lot of time.

In a book I read recently, ‘Nice Girls Don’t Get the Corner Office’, which was written long ago, the author, Lois P Frankel, acknowledged the longstanding nature of gender inequality and taught women how to live with it, rise above it, and “drop some characters”. This broadened my perspective. Men and women have different strengths and weaknesses, but a woman is not inferior to a man. She deserves the same opportunities a man could get.

I believe in gender equality and equity, and I hope to fight against inequality until my last breath. However, my perspective on the definition has become broader and clearer. The body system and general functionality of women differ from those of men, and the body system of one woman differs from other women. At this point, you can decide to blame nature.

Accepting this truth also means accepting that men and women weren’t created to function the same way. They are different genders with different strengths and weaknesses. But a woman is not inferior to a man. Hence, she deserves all the opportunities a man could get.

Redefining Gender Equality

Gender equality should then mean a balance between both genders, where both are allowed to explore their strengths and weaknesses, given equal opportunities to achieve the things they desire as “individuals” without being boxed into a “gender role.” For instance, traditional society believes that it is a woman’s role to cook.

Applying the definition would mean both genders can learn how to cook and any of them cooks because they want to or they love to, not because it’s their role. Some women genuinely love to cook, and some men genuinely do too; they even build a career as a chef. A woman who enjoys staying in the kitchen for hours to cook for her family shouldn’t be seen as inferior because she cooks. That’s a strength for her, and that’s okay, as long as she is not doing it because she thinks it’s “a woman’s role”.

Individuality Over Gender

On a larger scale, careers should be based on the desire, strengths, and weaknesses the individual wants to navigate. For this, the opportunities should match it. If a woman as “an individual” is better than a man for a job based on her education, skills, talents, wisdom, character, etc., she should be given the job based on what makes her better as “an individual”, not because of her gender.

I believe that we will make more progress if we focus on lifting the individuality of a person rather than trying to make a woman act like a man to prove that men and women are equal.

The Importance of Representation

The question arises: How do women ensure that they are valued the same way a man is valued when the world seems to be “a man’s world”?

I recognise and acknowledge the power of representation and how it gives strength when you see someone like you doing great things. This is where awareness comes in. This is also where every individual needs to define what greatness is for them. Women can be presidents, but it doesn’t change the fact that there are women out there who don’t want to be presidents, not because they think only a man can be, but because they don’t want it and don’t define greatness by that title. Again, individuality.

Gender Equality is not a Fight Against Men

The fight for gender equality is not a fight against men, and it’s not a movement to make women function like men. The world would be boring. How will we know how far a woman can go if all she focuses on is outperforming a man?

Two truths can co-exist: The fight for gender equality is not a fight to be like a man but it is a fight to allow women to thrive in places they want to despite being a woman. It’s a fight against child marriage because the girl child is only seen as wife material.

It’s a fight against roles that scream “You deserve more, but this is how far you can get because you are a woman.” It’s a fight against the notion that a woman is only allowed to be the Vice and not the Head because she is a woman. It’s a fight against the destruction of the mindset of young men by those teaching them that the other gender is lesser than them. Men deserve better than living with that limited mindset.

Finally, I’m tired of seeing women chase careers they don’t like and who act like men to prove a point — that women are equal or better than men. Dear woman, climb the ladder like a woman and show yourself and the world that you are not defined by the term “gender.”