Equity in Action: Breaking Down Barriers for Fairness
- iamchristinejean
- Jan 27
- 12 min read
Updated: Feb 15
When people hear the word equity, some assume it means giving people special treatment or handing out opportunities to those who haven’t earned them. Others believe it undermines merit by prioritizing identity over qualifications. But that’s not what equity is about at all.
True equity isn’t about lowering standards—it’s about removing barriers so that everyone has a fair chance to compete based on their skills, effort, and potential.
Without equity, workplaces unintentionally favor those who already have advantages, leaving others without equal access to the same opportunities. By addressing systemic barriers, companies don’t just foster fairness—they create stronger, more competitive teams and ensure success is truly based on merit.
What is equity? And why does it matter?
Equity ensures that everyone has what they need to succeed—even if that means providing different levels of support based on individual circumstances. Unlike equality, which assumes that treating everyone the same leads to fairness, equity recognizes that people face different challenges and need tailored resources to thrive.
While equality means giving everyone identical opportunities, equity acknowledges systemic barriers and ensures success is based on effort, talent, and ability—not privilege or obstacles.
In the workplace, equity means removing barriers that have historically excluded certain groups from fair access to hiring, promotions, leadership, and compensation. Organizations that prioritize equity foster fairness, build stronger teams, and drive better business outcomes by reflecting the diverse world they serve.
Equity vs. Equality: Why Fairness Requires More Than Sameness
Many assume fairness means treating everyone the same—that’s equality. But treating people the same doesn’t always lead to fair results.
Simple Examples of Equity vs. Equality
✅ Shoes in a School
Equality: Every student receives the same shoe size, even if it doesn’t fit.
Equity: Each student gets shoes that fit, so everyone can walk and play comfortably.
💡 Lesson: People need different resources to succeed because we don’t all start from the same place.
✅ A Math Test
Equality: Two students take the same test, but one had tutoring and textbooks while the other did not.
Equity: Both students receive the resources they need—books, tutoring, and preparation—before the test.
💡 Lesson: Some people face more barriers than others, and equity helps remove those barriers.
✅ A Doctor’s Office
Equality: Every patient receives the same medicine, regardless of their condition.
Equity: The doctor provides personalized treatments based on individual needs.
💡 Lesson: People need different types of support to succeed, and fairness means meeting those needs—not treating everyone identically.
✅ A Building Entrance
Equality: Only stairs exist, assuming everyone can use them.
Equity: A ramp is added so people in wheelchairs can enter.
💡 Lesson: Making things accessible doesn’t take away from others—it ensures no one is excluded.
By addressing systemic barriers, equity creates a level playing field, ensuring that success is based on ability—not circumstances.
The Business Case for Equity
Organizations that embrace equity see tangible benefits, including:
✅ Higher Employee Engagement: Employees who feel valued and supported are more engaged, productive, and loyal.
✅ Increased Innovation: Diverse, equitable teams bring fresh ideas and solve problems more effectively.
✅ Stronger Talent Pipeline: Equity ensures fair access to career advancement, attracting and retaining top talent.
✅ Better Decision-Making: Inclusive leadership drives smarter, more balanced choices that enhance long-term success.
Equity isn’t just the right thing to do—it’s a business imperative.
📖 Further Reading:
How Did We Get Here? The Historical Roots of Inequity
Workplace inequities aren’t random—they stem from long-standing societal, educational, and systemic structures that have disproportionately disadvantaged certain groups.
These barriers impact hiring, pay, promotions, and overall workplace culture. To build truly equitable workplaces, we must first understand the root causes and how they manifest today.
1. Bias in Hiring & Recruitment
💼 Hiring biases persist across gender, race, and other marginalized groups. Addressing these biases isn’t just about fairness—it’s about building diverse, innovative teams and ensuring equitable access to opportunities. Companies that tackle hiring biases create more inclusive environments, enhance their employer brand, and tap into a broader talent pool.
📊 Bias in Recruitment by the Numbers
Resume Discrimination: Applicants with ethnic-sounding names receive 50% fewer callbacks than those with white-sounding names, even with identical qualifications. (National Bureau of Economic Research | Employer's Replies to Racial Names)
Gender Bias in Tech: In 2022, 38% of job positions in the tech industry exclusively invited male applicants to interviews, underscoring persistent gender bias. (Tech Target | Study: Tech industry often denies job interviews to women)
Bias in Tech: A 2024 An American Sociological Review study found that for junior software engineering positions, Black men received 33.5% fewer callbacks than white men, Black women received 25.9% fewer, and white women received 16.8% fewer. (Phys.org | Hiring pressures to diversity are influencing patterns of discrimination in unexpected ways)
Networking Disparities: Professional networking plays a critical role in career advancement, yet 40% of professionals find it challenging to engage in networking activities, disproportionately affecting underrepresented groups. (Kellogg Insight | Why Are Some People More Reluctant to Network Than Others?)
Educational Bias: A 2024 study by the Burning Glass Institute and Harvard Business School found that hiring based solely on skills or experience accounted for just one in 700 hires, showing a persistent bias against candidates without traditional degrees. (Business Insider | More employers say they don't care if you went to college. Most still seem to.)
Affinity Bias: Nearly 48% of HR managers acknowledge that bias influences their candidate selection, with some admitting to favoring candidates who share similar backgrounds or interests. (AIHR)
Unpaid Internships & Networking Gaps: 55% of middle-class graduates have completed internships, compared to only 36% of working-class graduates, highlighting disparities in access to career opportunities. (The Guardian | Unpaid internships 'locking out' young working-class people from careers)
Financial Barriers: Approximately 61% of internships remain unpaid or underpaid, making them financially inaccessible for students from disadvantaged backgrounds. (The Guardian | Unpaid internships 'locking out' young working-class people from careers)
2. Unequal Pay & Wage gaps
💰 Pay inequities persist across gender, race, and other marginalized groups. Addressing wage disparities isn’t just about fairness—it’s about employee retention, satisfaction, and company reputation. Companies that prioritize pay equity foster a more engaged workforce, attract top talent, and mitigate risks related to legal and reputational harm.
📊The Wage Gap in Numbers
Gender Pay Gap: Women earn 82 cents for every dollar men earn, with Black women earning 63 cents and Latina women earning 57 cents for every dollar earned by white men. (Pew Research Center | The Enduring Grip of the Gender Pay Gap | National Women's Law Center - Equal Pay For Black Women / 57 Cents on the Dollar Isn't Enough for Latinas)
Racial Pay Disparities: Black and Hispanic workers earn significantly less, typically 24.4% less per hour, than their white counterparts in the same roles, even with equal qualifications. (Economic Policy Institute |Understanding black-white disparities in labor market outcomes requires models that account for persistent discrimination and unequal bargaining power)
Lack of Pay Transparency: Studies have shown that implementing pay transparency measures can reduce the gender pay gap by approximately 1.2 to 2 percentage points, accounting for a 20-30% decrease in the gap. (National Bureau of Economic Research | Pay Transparency and the Gender Gap)
3. Limited Access to Leadership & Promotions
📈 Many employees from underrepresented backgrounds face barriers to career advancement, often referred to as the “broken rung” effect—the first step to management where disparities emerge. When employees aren’t promoted at the same rate, fewer diverse leaders rise to higher-level positions, creating a persistent leadership gap. Sponsorship, mentorship, and fair performance evaluations are essential for breaking these barriers and ensuring leadership reflects the full talent pool.
📊 Leadership & Promotion Disparities by the Numbers
The “Broken Rung” Effect: For every 100 men promoted to manager, only 87 women are promoted. The gap is even wider for women of color—only 73 Latinas and 58 Black women receive promotions at the same rate. (McKinsey & Company | Women in the Workplace 2023 Report)
Performance Evaluation Bias: Despite equal or better performance, women are rated 8.3% lower for leadership potential, making them 14% less likely to be promoted than men. (MIT Sloan Management Review | Women are less likely than men to be promoted. Here's one reason why)
Lack of Mentorship & Sponsorship: Women and employees of color are less likely to have senior mentors or sponsors advocating for their career advancement, limiting their exposure to leadership opportunities. (American Association of University Women | Barriers & Bias: The Status of Women in Leadership)
Leadership Representation Gaps: Women make up 48% of entry-level hires but only 38% of first-level managers, demonstrating a sharp decline at the first promotion stage. Harvard Professional Development)
Women of Color in Leadership: Women of color hold just 4% of C-suite roles despite making up nearly 20% of the U.S. workforce. (McKinsey & Company | Women in the Workplace 2023 Report)
4. Occupational Segregation
📉 Occupational segregation refers to the uneven distribution of individuals across professions based on characteristics such as gender, race, or disability status. Women and people of color are underrepresented in high-paying industries like STEM, finance, and executive leadership, while being overrepresented in lower-wage fields such as education, caregiving, and hospitality. Additionally, individuals with disabilities frequently encounter barriers to career advancement due to inaccessible work environments or a lack of flexible work policies. Addressing occupational segregation requires proactive efforts to remove systemic barriers and create equitable access to high-paying, high-growth careers.
📊 Occupational Segregation by the Numbers
Underrepresentation in STEM: Women make up 48% of the U.S. workforce but hold only 25% of computing jobs and 15% of engineering jobs, despite having equal capabilities and educational backgrounds. (American Association of University Women | The STEM Gap: Women and Girls in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics)
Racial Disparities in High-Paying Jobs: Black workers represent 12% of the U.S. workforce but hold only 7% of STEM jobs, while Hispanic workers make up 18% of the workforce but hold just 8% of STEM jobs. (Pew Research Center | STEM Jobs See Uneven Progress in Increasing Gender, Racial and Ethnic Diversity)
Overrepresentation in Low-Wage Industries: Women represent 75% of the education and healthcare and social assistance sector, both of which have lower median wages than male-dominated industries. (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics | Women in the labor force: a databook)
The Pay Gap from Occupational Segregation: 58% of the gender pay gap can be attributed to occupational segregation, where women are funneled into lower-paying fields, even with similar education levels. (Stanford University | Occupational Segregation)
Disability Employment Gaps: Only 22.9% of people with disabilities are employed, compared to 65.3% of non-disabled individuals, due in part to workplace inaccessibility and bias. (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics | Persons with a Disability: Labor Force Characteristics Summary, ABC News | Workplace inaccessibility is keeping disabled people from jobs, and Center for American Progress | Disabled Workers Saw Record Employment Gains in 2023, But Gaps Remain)
5. Exclusionary Workplace Cultures
🚫 Exclusionary workplace cultures create environments where employees from marginalized groups face discrimination, microaggressions, and barriers to success. Subtle biases—such as microaggressions—can undermine confidence, job satisfaction, and career progression. Meanwhile, the absence of inclusive policies (such as parental leave, disability accommodations, and religious considerations) further alienates employees. Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) are meant to provide support, but without executive sponsorship and funding, their impact is often limited.
📊 Exclusionary Practices by the Numbers
Prevalence of Microaggressions: 64% of women report experiencing microaggressions in the workplace, including having to provide more evidence of their competence and having their judgment questioned. (Lean In | Women in the Workplace)
Impact on Women: 78% of women who experience workplace microaggressions modify their behavior or appearance to avoid further incidents, increasing stress and reducing job satisfaction. (Forbes | Who Endures Microaggressions At Work Most And 3 Remedies, New Study Shows)
Burnout & Retention Effects: 34% of women who experience microaggressions frequently feel burned out, compared to 13% of those who do not. Additionally, 15% of these women consider leaving their jobs, more than twice the rate of those who do not face microaggressions. (McKinsey & Company | Women in the Workplace 2021 Report)
Bias in the Workplace: 39% of employees report experiencing workplace bias at least once a month, with 83% of those biases being subtle but significantly impacting career progression. (Deloitte | Bias in the workplace today)
Lack of Inclusive Policies: Access to paid family leave is significantly lower among certain groups, with only 6% of the lowest 10% of earners and 12% of part-time workers having access, compared to 28% of full-time workers, disproportionately impacting women, lower-income workers, and employees of color who are more likely to hold lower-wage or part-time jobs with fewer benefits. (Center for American Progress | The State of Paid Family and Medical Leave in the U.S. in 2023)
ERGs and Executive Sponsorship: Approximately 21% of Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) operate without any budget, and only 24% of ERG leaders receive financial compensation for their roles, limiting their ability to create meaningful change. (HR Brew | New report finds employee resource groups are abundant, but funding is not)
6. Work-Life Balance Disparities
⚖️ Work-life balance disparities disproportionately impact caregivers, women, and employees returning from extended leave. Caregivers, particularly women, often experience career stagnation due to inflexible work policies, limited remote work options, and the stigma of requesting accommodations. Employees who take extended leave—whether for caregiving, illness, or disability—struggle to re-enter the workforce at the same level, facing hiring biases and pay gaps. Companies that fail to address these issues risk talent loss and employee burnout.
📊 Work-Life Balance Disparities by the Numbers
Caregiver Workforce Impact: 32% of caregivers have had to quit their jobs or retire early due to caregiving responsibilities, disproportionately affecting women. (Talent Culture | Employee Caregivers Are Quitting. Here's How to Keep Them)
The “Motherhood Penalty”: Mothers are far more likely than fathers to reduce their work hours or leave the workforce due to caregiving demands, contributing to long-term pay and career advancement gaps. (Pew Research Center | Women more than men adjust their careers for family life)
Lack of Paid Family Leave: The U.S. is the only developed nation that does not mandate paid parental leave, leaving 1 in 4 new mothers returning to work within two weeks of giving birth. (Vox | 1 in 4 American moms return to work within 2 week of giving birth - here's what it's like)
Return-to-Work Challenges: 20% of caregivers have taken a leave of absence or demotion, compared to 14% of non-caregivers, while caregivers are twice as likely as non-caregivers to experience a layoff (6% vs. 3%), and 29% of caregivers have reduced their work hours, highlighting the career setbacks many face when balancing work and caregiving. (Guardian Life | Standing Up and Stepping In)
Flexible Work Disparities: Only 33% of low-wage workers have paid sick leave, compared to 79% of mid- and high-wage workers, and just 12% have access to daily flextime, compared to 26% of higher-wage workers, highlighting disparities in workplace flexibility. (Georgetown University Law Center | Lower-Wage Workers and Flexible Work Arrangements)
7. Systemic Bias in Layoffs & Retention
📉 Systemic biases in layoffs and retention disproportionately impact women and employees of color. During economic downturns, “last-in, first-out” policies frequently lead to diverse employees—often hired through recent DEI efforts—being the first to be laid off. Meanwhile, workplaces that fail to foster inclusive cultures experience higher turnover rates among marginalized employees, leading to less diverse leadership pipelines over time. Companies that address these inequities improve retention, morale, and overall workplace stability.
📊 Layoffs & Retention Disparities by the Numbers
Disproportionate Layoffs: Black workers are more likely to be laid off during economic downturns, supporting the last hired, first fired hypothesis, as research from the Journal of Human Resources shows they face disproportionate job losses—a pattern observed since the Great Depression. (UCONN | Last Hired, First Fired? Black-White Unemployement and the Business Cycle and History.com | Last Hired, First Fired: How the Great Depression Affected African Americans)
Unemployment Disparities: Black workers are not just twice as likely to be unemployed as similarly educated white workers, but they are often more likely to be unemployed than less-educated whites. (Washington Center for Equitable Growth | Understanding Disparities in Unemployment Insurance Recipiency)
Women in Tech Layoffs: In recent tech industry layoffs, 69.2% of those affected were women, despite women holding only 21% of computer programming positions. (Wired | Taking on the Tyranny of the Tech Bros)
Retention Challenges for Marginalized Groups: A 2019 Glassdoor survey found that 49% of Hispanic employees left a job after experiencing or witnessing workplace discrimination, while a 2021 Williams Institute report showed that 33% of LGBTQ+ employees quit due to bias, highlighting retention challenges for marginalized groups. (Glassdoor | Diversity & Inclusion Workplace Survey and UCLA's Williams Institute | LGBTQ People's Experiences of Workplace Discrimination and Harassment)
The Cost of High Turnover: Companies with inclusive cultures have 22% lower turnover rates, 22% greater productivity, and 83% higher engagement, saving significant costs in recruitment and lost productivity. (SelectSoftware Reviews | 109+ Must-Know Workplace Diversity Statistics [Q1 2024])
Layoff Decisions & Bias: Performance-based layoffs are 25% less likely to disproportionately impact women and 20% less likely to impact people of color than tenure-based cuts, yet many companies still default to tenure-first approaches. (ScienceDaily | Downsizing by position or tenure hurts managerial diversity, while performance based layoff don't)
Final Thoughts: Equity is About Removing Barriers, Not Lowering Standards
Workplace inequity isn’t just about individual bias—it’s the result of systemic structures that create barriers to fair hiring, pay, advancement, and workplace culture. Addressing these inequities requires intentional policies, transparent practices, and leadership commitment to building workplaces where success is based on merit, not privilege.
Equity doesn’t mean handing out jobs, promotions, or contracts—it means removing barriers so that effort, skills, and performance determine success, not systemic disadvantages.
💡 By implementing fair hiring practices, pay transparency, leadership development programs, and inclusive policies, businesses don’t just foster fairness—they create stronger, more competitive, and more innovative teams where all employees have an equal shot at success.
Businesses don’t just foster fairness—they create stronger, more competitive, and more innovative teams where all employees have an equal shot at success.
📖 Read the full series:
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