Gender equality, disability and social inclusion in Veterinary Services

Findings

• The South-East Asia and Pacific regions have comprehensive legal and institutional frameworks in place to support and promote the advancement of GEDSI. These include global and regional commitments as well as national legislation and policies. Nevertheless, economic, social and institutional factors impede the equal participation of women, people with disabilities and people from minority groups. This impacts the performance of all sectors, including Veterinary Services.
• Veterinary services and animal health organisations in South-East Asia appear to be providing positive workplace cultures with around 80% of respondents agreeing that their organisation actively provides a welcoming environment for all. Nevertheless, there are perceptions that women, people with disabilities and people from different backgrounds are not treated equally.
• In the Pacific, over 70% of respondents agree that their organisation actively provides a welcoming environment for all, yet this view does not come out in the detailed responses which show that there are perceptions of unequal treatment of some groups, and over one-third of respondents had considered quitting their jobs. Responses to the survey indicate some women in the Pacific experience behaviours that may be considered discriminatory such as bullying, undermining, lack of respect as well as fewer professional development opportunities.
• In the Pacific, women appear to outnumber men in the sector, with most respondents believing that there are more women in the sector. Women and men are equally mobile and are working across all areas of the sector. Women are securing senior level positions but more rarely executive ones. This potentially represents a glass ceiling. Only a small majority of women (57%) believe that they have similar opportunities to men.
• Given that, globally, around 16% of people live with disabilities, the data suggest that in both regions people with disabilities are under-represented or under-reporting. In South-East Asia, the data suggest that there is a decline between pre-service and in-service in the proportion of people self-declaring as having disabilities. This could suggest that people with disabilities are undertaking studies in the sector but are not securing employment in the sector. Or it may be workplace cultures or generational attitudes mean that people in the workforce are less willing to self-identify as having a disability. In the Pacific, it appears that people with disabilities are under-represented in pre-service and this trend continues into in-service. In both regions the data indicate that the people with disabilities that are working in the sector experience disadvantage in the workplace with most respondents agreeing that people with disabilities are not treated equally.
• Pre-service respondents are largely positive in terms of their experience with GEDSI. Institutions have mostly provided adjustments for people with disabilities where needed and people with disabilities are confident in their future employment prospects. In the Pacific, most pre-service respondents do not believe that they have been treated differently because of their gender.
• Critically, the data indicate that many organisations (Public Veterinary Services, Veterinary Education Establishments…) in both regions do not have GEDSI policies in place: only 68% of South-East Asia respondents and 32% of Pacific respondents believe that their organisation has a GEDSI policy or similar. Furthermore, where policies are in place, they are not necessarily implemented to a high standard. Nor do there appear to be many other measures to promote GEDSI.

Recommendations

In view of these findings, the analysis recommends the following: