Equity

In theory

Equity can be described as the just and different treatment of individuals by attending to their specific individual circumstances, opportunities, resources, care, needs and constraints to arrive at equal outcomes. Underlying such a treatment is the acknowledgement that marginalized groups (in terms of sex, race/ethnicity, class, gender identity, religion and body ableness) do not have the same starting point, but that they face different structural and institutional barriers and therefore require different and additional treatment to overcome them and arrive at equal outcomes.

In practice

An important element of equity is the recognition that different groups have different and unequal circumstances, opportunities, constraints, resources and needs of care that must be addressed accordingly so they may arrive at equal outcomes. This can take shape of specific funding programs (e.g., Mosaic, Hestia, Aspasia, Marie-Curie Fellowships) or specific incentives (e.g., Westerdijksgelden) to ensure that those who do not come from a background with knowledges and resources for navigating the academy (e.g., racialized academics, women, refugees) compared to those who do, are still offered the possibility to enter, navigate and continue in academia.