equal footing
Level playing field
Equal footing describes a state where parties share the same status, advantages, or conditions—none has an edge over the others.
The phrase draws on the image of competitors starting from the same position: The new regulations put small businesses on equal footing with large corporations.
To be on equal footing with someone is to deal with them as a peer rather than from a position of inferiority or superiority.
- parityState of being equal
- fairnessJust and equal treatment
- fair treatmentImpartial, unbiased handling
- opportunityFavorable circumstance for advancement
- starting lineRace's initial position
level playing field · fair shake · evenness · balance · egalitarianism · nondiscrimination · impartiality · peer · common ground · inclusion · mutual respect · matched · empowerment · accessibility · participation · unbiased · neck and neck · integration
- fairnessfair play, fair shake, fair treatment, fair and square, fair share
- sportsmanshipfairness, fair play, sportsmanship, respect, integrity
- fair marketsfair competition, fair dealing, fair play, fair pricing, level playing field
- evenhandednessfairness, balance, neutrality, objectivity, impartiality
- parity termseven number, odd number, checksum, data integrity, gender parity
- reciprocityreciprocity, likewise, mutual benefit, mutualism, two-way street
equal footinghierarchy
Ranked authority structure
power imbalance · pecking order · subordination · dominance · inequality
equal footingunfair advantage
Unearned competitive benefit
leg up · head start · upper hand · disadvantage · handicap
equal footingdominant position
State of prevailing control
power imbalance · upper hand · disadvantage · asymmetry · disparity
equal, equally, equality, footing, equation, equate, equator, equatorial, equating