Study shows continued gender bias in veterinary profession

While some industry members say gender bias is no longer a problem in the veterinary profession, a new study shows a different picture.

The British Veterinary Association conducted the study with researchers from the University of Exeter and Skidmore College, who showed practice managers performance evaluations of two hypothetical veterinary surgeons. The profiles were identical except that one had the name Elizabeth and the other was Mark.

Most managers rated the male candidate’s performance higher than the female candidate’s performance, and they recommended a higher salary for the male candidate—an average 8% gap, according to BVA.

The “key drivers” of this gap, BVA said, were managers who said gender bias isn’t an issue in veterinary medicine. Those who do believe bias exists were more likely to recommend equal pay.

Two thirds of the managers who thought bias no longer exists were men. Still, female participants who held this view also tended to undervalue the female candidate’s work.

”When you break this down, it’s like going to that male employee after an hour’s work and saying, ‘Ya know what, here’s an extra two bucks—not because you’re particularly qualified or good at your job, but simply because you’re a man,” said Christopher Begeny, the study’s lead author.

“And then the next hour, you go back and give that male employee another two dollars, and the next hour another two dollars. And on and on, continuing to do that every hour for the next 2,000 hours of work.”

For more details on the study, visit the BVA website.