What is the “Equality Wheel”?
The Equality wheel is a model used to explain the dynamics of a healthy relationship. It is applicable to all forms of relationships; with friends, dating partners, intimate partners, life partners, or family members. Each component of the wheel supports and reinforces the others, with equality always at the center. The Equality wheel can be used by anyone as a guide to maintaining healthy patterns in a relationship.
The Center of the Wheel:
Equality: Equality is the foundation of any healthy relationship
The Spokes of the Wheel:
Trust: trust appropriately. You would trust your life partner more than you would trust a new aquaintance.
Support: Support each other. Encourage others in their goals, activities, and personal growth.
Respect: Respect other people’s boundaries. Learn othe people’s boundaries and do not infringe upon them.
Responsibility: share responsibility for maintaining a relationship. Bothpeople in a relationship should be included in making decisions.
Communication: communicate effectively. effective communication involves clearly expressing your thoughts and feelings and listening to those and others.
Boundaries: maintain healthy boundaries. create safe and comfortable space to experience relationships by defining and communicating your boundaries to others.
Honesty: Be open and honest. it is important for both people in a relationship to be honest about their intentions, feelings, or desires.
Accountability: Be responsible for your own actions. Talk to others to understand how your actions effect them.
The Outer Circle of the Wheel:
Non- Violence: there is no place for violent acts or behaviors in a healthy relationships. examples of violent acts or behaviors include yelling, name-calling, minimizing feelings, throwing things, unwanted touching, pushing, hitting, stalking, and forced sex.
PLEASE TAKE A FEW MOMENTS TO PARTICIPATE IN OUR POLL
She Called It "Mount Cope" 
September 14, 2009 at 5:38 am
While your message is good, it only goes in one direction. It is unfortunate that you chose to use a wheel that you apparently only want men to use. I was with you 100% until I got to to right side of the wheel where you identify that only women should be respected, trusted and treated in a non-threatening format. My experience has been that both genders could use a little more soul-searching when it comes to dealing with each other.
December 14, 2011 at 1:10 am
i am doing a final paper on this topic, and i am trying to get out of an unhealthy relationship. even though i am female, i will have to agree with you. very true. it works both ways, and true love is based on mutual respect and affection for one another.
September 25, 2009 at 3:10 am
MinorObjection has a good point – equality needs to go both ways. In English, however, masculine pronouns are routinely used generically to refer to both sexes, and if this had been done here MinorObjection would probably have been NoObjection. In reality, however, many women feel excluded when masculine pronouns are used; women have all too often been made invisible by such language. Thus, to have used masculine pronouns here in the context of domestic violence, however generically, would have been to perpetuate the abuse. Men are by far the primary perpetrators, and are thus the primary ones who need to learn this lesson of respect and trust.
In addition, however, the use of the feminine pronoun, even generically, invites a man to open his heart and to feel, if even for a moment, what all too many women feel most – if not all of the time.
January 8, 2012 at 4:44 am
equality is the key for world peace…(social change)