Career aspiration in UK veterinary students: the influences of gender, self-esteem and year of study

S M Castro,E Armitage‐Chan

doi:10.1136/vr.103812

Abstract

It is widely reported that the veterinary profession is becoming increasingly female-dominated, but there are concerns that this is not represented in positions of leadership. Although there are well-documented data...

Highlights

Data from surveys of the veterinary profession demonstrate an increase in proportion of female practitioners and graduates in both the UK and North America (Irvine and Vermilya 2010, Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) 2014a)
The results of this study suggest that the gender divide in practice ownership and veterinary leadership observed in the profession (RCVS 2014b) is evident in students’ aspirations and experiences
There is little data available to evaluate aspirations of practice ownership in graduated veterinary surgeons, it was reported that a North American survey demonstrated that twice as many men than women aspired to practice ownership during their early career (BVA Congress 2006)

Summary

Introduction

Data from surveys of the veterinary profession demonstrate an increase in proportion of female practitioners and graduates in both the UK and North America (Irvine and Vermilya 2010, RCVS 2014a). Cause and effect are challenging to demonstrate, the suggestion has been made that an increase in female presence in a profession, together with stagnation of wages, actively dissuades males from entering (Lofstedt 2003). Because of this association, some cite fears that feminisation of the profession may contribute to declining veterinary incomes (Lofstedt 2003), an opinion that draws on findings that female veterinary surgeons were satisfied at lower salaries than their male counterparts, and have lower expectations for salary increases (Cron and others 2000, Bristol 2011). Addressing the gender balance in veterinary leadership offers the potential to positively impact the profession in various ways, as well as increasing role models for early career vets

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Conclusion