Companion AnimalVol. 24, No. 4 EditorialFree AccessThe standard that you walk pastDebra BourneDebra BourneEditor, Companion AnimalSearch for more papers by this authorDebra BournePublished Online:3 Apr 2019https://doi.org/10.12968/coan.2019.24.4.173AboutSectionsPDF/EPUB ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InEmail In the last few years there have been a number of difficult conversations taking place — and being taken seriously — within the veterinary profession in the UK. The topics include gender discrimination, problems faced by ethnic minority veterinary professionals, mental health, including our continuing sadly high suicide rate, and physical health — see this month's Endpiece from Rosie Allister of Vetlife (p226) on our damaging tendency not to take time off for ill health.A recent survey by BVA on discrimination in the veterinary professions, asking people to relate their experience either receiving or witnessing discrimination, garnered more than 2400 responses. Daniella Dos Santos, BVA Junior Vice President, noted in a BVA Blog post that ‘Gender, race, age and being a parent were the top areas of discrimination identified, but colleagues also shared their experiences of being discriminated against due to their disability, sexual orientation and religious beliefs, amongst other reasons.’Looking at gender specifically, the report by Begeny et al Gender discrimination in the veterinary profession. A brief report of the BVA Employers' Study 2018 demonstrated clearly that women in the veterinary profession are still likely to have their skills less positively recognised and appreciated than their male colleagues. Additionally, women with the same abilities as men are likely to be judged as being inferior — particularly by people who think that there is no present-day problem with gender discrimination in the veterinary profession.On the positive side, it is good that these issues are being raised and spoken about in public, with surveys and reports to quantify the problem: it is hard to start tackling a problem if you don't know that the problem exists, or how large it is, or if you can't discuss it openly and the existence of the problem is ignored, brushed under the carpet or talked about only in whispers. Women, and people from minority ethnic backgrounds, are becoming more visible and more audible in the profession, and are taking up more positions of leadership within the profession. We have a British Veterinary Ethnicity and Diversity Society, a British Veterinary Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (BVLGBT+) group.It's a start. However, there is still some way to go. A few years ago I was directed to a video available online by David Morrison, a senior officer in the Australian Armed Forces, talking about the role of sexism in the Australian military — and making it clear that there was to be no such role. One phrase in particular resonated with me — and resonated across the internet. He quoted: ‘the standard you walk past is the standard you accept.’Those in leadership positions have a particular responsibility, but we all have a role to play in rooting out discrimination within the veterinary sphere, whether it is sexism, discrimination on the base of skin colour or ethnic background, age, being a parent, religion, sexual orientation, mental or physical health or anything else. We need to educate ourselves and become aware of our own prejudices, in order to change our attitudes and actions (including what we say and how we say it) where necessary, to avoid being offensive to or discriminating against our colleagues. We also need to be aware of discrimination when it occurs around us, and when it occurs we need to not walk past but to speak out. References Begeny et al.. Gender discrimination in the veterinary profession. A brief report of the BVA Employers' Study 2018. AVailable via https://www.bva.co.uk/news-campaigns-and-policy/policy/future-of-the-profession/workforce-issues-and-careers-support/ Google ScholarDos Santos. #Timeforchange: Thanks to the thousands who shared their experiences. BVA Blog. 2019. https://bit.ly/2JH67cB Google ScholarMorrison D. 2013. Chief of Army Lieutenant General David Morrison message about unacceptable behaviour. https://bit.ly/1dpd3VB Google Scholar FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails 2 April 2019Volume 24Issue 4ISSN (print): 2053-0889ISSN (online): 2053-0897 Metrics History Published online 3 April 2019 Published in print 2 April 2019 Information© MA Healthcare LimitedPDF download