Balance or Equality

Balance and Equality, two seemingly similar terms. Whilst Balance might signify an exactness in magnitude of two dissimilar items - objects or concepts; Equality denotes a similitude in the items in comparison.
In life, should we be striving for balance or equality? In nature we find balance in the basic structure of life, equality is a concept that has no equivalent in nature. How can equality be applied between two fundamentally different items? How can a man equal a woman?