This expresses a liberal feminist idea that removing discrimination
in opportunities for women allows them to achieve equal status to
men. In effect, progress in women’s status is measured against a
male norm. Equal opportunities policies and legislation tackle the
problem through measures to increase women’s participation in
public life. For example, in Chile, the National Service for Women
(SERNAM) developed an Equal Opportunities Plan for Chilean
Women 1994-1999. This focused on equitable participation in
education, the labour market, health services, and politics.
Judicial reform is another key tool in the fight for equality, but lack
of implementation and enforcement might limit its impact.
However, this focus on what is sometimes called formal equality,
does not necessarily demand or ensure equality of outcomes. It
assumes that once the barriers to participation are removed, there
is a level playing field. It also does not recognise that women’s
reality and experience may be different from men’s.
Gender equity denotes the equivalence in life outcomes for
women and men, recognising their different needs and interests,
and requiring a redistribution of power and resources.
The goal of gender equity, sometimes called substantive equality,
moves beyond equality of opportunity by requiring transformative
change. It recognises that women and men have different needs,
preferences, and interests and that equality of outcomes may
necessitate different treatment of men and women.
An equity approach implies that all development policies and
interventions need to be scrutinised for their impact on gender
relations. It necessitates a rethinking of policies and programmes
to take account of men’s and women’s different realities and
interests. So, for example, it implies rethinking existing legislation
on employment, as well as development programmes, to take
account of women’s reproductive work and their concentration in
unprotected, casual work in informal and home based enterprises.
It is worth examining the content of policies, not just the language,
before deciding whether an equity or an equality approach is
being followed. Gender equity goals are seen as being more
political than gender equality goals, and are hence are generally
less accepted in mainstream development agencies.
Development Assistance Committee (DAC), 1998, ‘Evolution of
the Thinking and Approaches on Equality Issues’ in DAC, 1998,
DAC Sourcebook on Concepts and Approaches linked to Gender