Reduced Inequalities

When the same rule does not produce the same result

Imagine three people wanting to join a meeting held on a second floor without a lift. The invitation is identical, but their possibilities are not. SDG 10 concerns inequalities of income, participation and access, within and among countries. Understanding gaps is not about ranking people; it means identifying rules, resources, representation and barriers that distribute choices unevenly.

Equality, equity and inclusion

Equality gives everyone the same thing; equity adjusts support to reduce a barrier; inclusion changes how a decision is designed so different people can participate. These words are not interchangeable. A ramp, flexible time, translation or payment for participation can be conditions of access rather than privileges. Measures should not reduce someone to an identity or deficit.

Barriers and power

Inequality can come from income, housing, health, transport, language, discrimination or missing representation. Factors combine. A useful response asks who sets the rule, who has time and who carries the risk. Data can help but must be necessary, anonymised and interpreted carefully. Voluntary testimony, observation and participation indicators complement numbers.

Hypothetical example: a participatory budget

In an imaginary municipality, a fund supports one citizen idea. Evening meetings mostly attract people who are available then. The committee offers a daytime session, funded childcare, a paper form and translation. It checks the range of contributions without publishing data that could identify anyone. The trade-off is real: adaptations require time and money, while widening participation strengthens the decision’s legitimacy.

Reflect

• Which rule looks neutral but creates a barrier?
• Who should be involved before measuring or deciding?

Act

Audit access for an imaginary activity: barrier, person affected, change, cost, decision-maker and indicator. Choose a safe action, such as offering several contribution formats. Do not request or publish personal information; people can participate without telling their story.

Connecting local experience and collective action

To study inequality, compare a common rule with different starting situations. Who has information, time, money or access to recourse? A table can link each barrier to an actor able to act and to a checkable adaptation. Protect personal accounts and invite affected people to respond: experience should inform a decision without becoming proof that anyone must provide.

This approach turns a broad intention into a decision that can be checked. It recognises that people have different resources and room to act, and that rules may need revision. Fairness is strengthened when affected people can question both results and process.

An equitable decision may require different adaptations to create a comparable real opportunity. Measure access, not only what is offered. Record who could not use the service and why.

Inclusion is stronger when people can influence both the design and the review. A result that looks equal on paper may still leave practical barriers, so ask what support is needed. This process values lived experience while keeping personal information protected. Reviewing the process is part of measuring fairness, not an optional final step.