Title: Equity vs. Equality: What Is the Difference?
Headings: Equity vs. Equality: What Is the Difference?
Equity vs. Equality: What Is the Difference?
Key Takeaways: Equity vs. Equality
Equality Definition and Examples
Equity Definition and Examples
Equity vs. Equality Examples
Education
Religion
Public Policy
Sources and Further Reference

Content: the fair, just and equitable distribution of public services and implementation of public policy; and the commitment to promote fairness, justice, and equity in the formation of public policy.” In essence, equity can be defined as a means of achieving equality. For example, the Help America Vote Act requires that people with disabilities be provided with access to polling places and voting systems equal to that of able-bodied people. Similarly, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires that persons with disabilities have equal access to public facilities. Recently, U.S. government policy has focused on social equity in the area of sexual orientation. For example, President Barack Obama appointed nearly 200 self-declared members of the LGBTQ Community to paid positions within the executive branch. In 2013, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development published the first-ever estimate of discrimination against same-sex couples in housing opportunities . Equity in the area of gender-based discrimination in education is provided by Title IX of the federal Education Amendments Act of 1972, which states, “No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving federal financial assistance.” Title IX applies to virtually every aspect of the educational experience from scholarships and athletics, to employment and discipline at approximately 16,500 local school districts, 7,000 postsecondary institutions, as well as charter schools, for-profit schools, libraries, and museums.