Equity refers to the pertinence of a rule used for allocating common resources. In fact, equity is that principle according to which, within an efficient economic system in the production of profit, you also have to find the way to equally provide the profit among those who helped create it. Moreover it’s about the basic principle of the incentive structure of social enterprises. In these organisations there is indeed a widespread perception by workers (paid and voluntary) of a correct distribution of resources and benefits (economic and non-economic) created by the enterprise.

The Charter of values of Cooperation in Trentino says: “equity implies the absence of every type of discrimination, whether it’s of sexual orientation, gender, race, religion, nationality orientation, parental affinity, ideological, political or trade union orientation. An equitable cooperative organisation values people by their merits; it doesn’t mortify them through unethical practices such as the use of patronage, recommendation, opportunism, tending to reward the incapable or less deserving”.

According to Stefano Zamagni “equity means to give everybody the possibility to participate in the economic game of the market, and that happens giving everyone an adequate purchasing power ". .