Chapter 2
The Evolution of the Equity Continuum
The original idea of rating companies on a five-point equity continuum was included in a book published in 1992 by Felice Schwartz entitled Breaking with Tradition: Women and Work, the New Facts of Life. Schwartz found that the companies she worked with followed a pattern of being motivated to develop women. In 1996 I built on the Schwartz model, creating an adapted version that moved beyond issues of gender to look at why organizations pursue any type of equity initiative. The new model was called the Equity Continuum and described the highest level organizations as Equitable and Inclusive. Schwartz labeled Level 5 organizations as True Equality, which she felt was utopian and unreachable in light ...
