Gender Equity and Diverse Populations

Perspectives on Gender Equity and Diversity

Research and practice in gender equity has evolved during the past 25 to 30 years. One important factor that has guided this development has been the recognition of local, national, and global diversity. This recognition has led to more extensive discussions of gender equity.

An example of the evolution of thinking about gender equity across diverse populations is evident in a comparison of the first and second editions of the Handbook for Achieving Gender Equity Through Education (Klein, 1985, 2007). The first edition of this handbook, published in 1985, was titled Handbook for Achieving Sex Equity Through Education. This edition focused on educational equity primarily for White, heterosexual women. Research on all other groups was consigned to a single chapter at the end of the book. Despite this organizational structure, the editors of the 1985 Handbook noted that the attainment of gender equity would require achieving equity in other areas. In addition, the authors of the chapter on “minority women” argued that minorities did not constitute a homogeneous group and called for more research that considered gender within various cultural contexts.

The second edition of this handbook, published in 2007, was titled The Handbook for Achieving Gender Equity Through Education. This second edition differed from the 1985 version along a number of dimensions; three of which are particularly relevant to this entry. First, the book included separate chapters that discussed gender equity among a variety of diverse populations representing differences in race and ethnicity, disability, sexuality, and giftedness. Second, in addition to including these chapters, information pertaining to these populations was included in all chapters of the handbook, revealing similarities and differences across diverse groups. The focus was also broadened to include men and boys as well as women and girls. The second edition of the Handbook provided a more accurate and broader framework for viewing gender equity in diverse societies.

The recognition of the actual diversity that exists among populations has led to the realization that the process of understanding and achievement of gender equity is more complex than previously believed. Although it is not possible to provide a complete discussion of the ways in which gender [Page 970]equity is conceptualized in all of the cultural and social groups that compose this society, this entry will present some examples of issues raised in this context—specifically, concepts of gender, the impact of within-group heterogeneity, and aspects of discrimination.

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