Still a minority : integration of women in the veterinary sector

Study highlights include:

• Limited information is available around gender and veterinary services in Africa;
• Senegal and Togo have made good progress on strengthening regulatory and policy frameworks to promote gender equality, bringing credibility and political legitimacy to discussions on the issue;
• However, women are under-represented in the animal health landscape: despite increasing numbers, particularly in Senegal, women are still very much a minority in the veterinary services sector and among students. The low representation of women in veterinary care is partly due to specific constraints which reduce women’s access to veterinary education and then barriers which impede their career pathways;
• A range of specific barriers to education make enrolment and completion of studies difficult for some young women, including, perceptions and self-confidence to enrol and succeed, lack of financial support, unsuitable accommodation, lack of opportunities to gain practical experience (sometimes due to preferences for men), lack of role models in the sector.

Strong stereotypes from both women and men include features like lack of physical strength and a fear of animals attributed to women. Yet there are differences in perception from one generation to the next, and the current trend among young people is a lessening of such stereotypes. Risks of gender-based violence are also present.

Study recommendations include:

– Improvements in policy and practices for veterinary paraprofessional training institutions to create conditions which promote women’s equality;

– Increased visibility of women in national Veterinary Services;

– Application of gender guidelines in the livestock sector, in line with national policy frameworks, such as, by:

• raising awareness and training staff in gender mainstreaming,
• supporting establishments and statutory organisations in setting up gender policies,
• preventing and combating gender-based violence,
• taking better account of the specific characteristics of female livestock farmers in access to healthcare.