International Women's Day 2025 - Accelerate Action

8 March marks International Women’s Day – a day to honour women’s achievements and promote gender equality.

This year, we’re marking the day by chatting to our President, Linda Belton MRCVS, and our Senior Vice President, Dr Sue Paterson FRCVS about the importance of the day, what actions they personally take to help drive change within their leadership positions, and what gender equality looks like to them in a now-predominantly female industry.

From our register data, we know that women make up a higher proportion of UK practising vets than men in younger age groups. However, according to our Survey of the Veterinary Profession 2024 results, in every age group UK practising women are overrepresented as employed assistants, and underrepresented as sole principals, directors, or partners.

To further that, according to the survey, women were less likely to agree that the profession:

• offers good opportunities for those wishing to work flexibly (female 37%, male 51%)
• pays sufficient attention to the development of leadership (female 15%, male 21%)
• is diverse and inclusive (female 29%, male 41%)
• offers good opportunities for career progression (female 35%, male 40%)

Women were also less satisfied with their salary/renumeration level (female 50%, male 58%).

So while on the surface of things we’ve come on leaps and bounds in terms of reaching gender equality within the profession, there is still much more work to be done. 

Find our what Linda and Sue have to say on the subject and read their brief interviews below.

Linda Belton MRCVS, President

What’s one action we can take today to accelerate gender equality in the workplace?

Communicate good quality data that effectively highlights the degree of inequality that currently exists in terms of both pay and roles held, and advocate for women to actively ask for appropriate pay and to seek promotions.

How do you personally drive change in your role?

Advocate for colleagues, interrogate decision making, educate and actively look to dismantle barriers which may disproportionately and unreasonably impact individuals.

What advice would you give to the next generation of women to help them accelerate progress in the professions?

Be bold, take risks, accept, and expect support from personal and professional relationships.

What challenges do women face in the veterinary field, and how can we take action to overcome them?

Societal norms and expectations can still impact our approach to work – whether that is our own behaviour or that of our partners. Equality at home is fundamental, and especially when there are dependents to care for. Strong support networks within workplace teams help all to thrive as well as a zero-tolerance approach to misogyny and a willingness to have the conversations both within our own teams and with our clients on the subject!

Actively promoting and valuing female leadership with good role modelling, both within teams and with clients has the potential to effect positive change for women in the veterinary field.

Engaging more women with the commercial set up of veterinary workplaces and ensuring good levels of financial literacy will help them realise their own economic worth and assist them in being part of the decision-making process around how veterinary services are delivered and at what costs.

Given that veterinary is now a predominantly female industry, what does gender equality look like to you?

If we had gender equality in our industry then society more widely would likely have also shifted and reduced its expectations of, and dependence on, women to fulfil unsung and unpaid, even if very meaningful, roles. All would benefit from more male role models in these unsung and unpaid roles.

Economic independence for women is important and facilitating women to stay in the workplace and enjoy long veterinary careers enables this. Gender equality would see women holding a more proportionate share of the senior roles and associated remuneration, opportunities and influence which accompany them, in line with the demographics of the industry. This broader input will assist us in our development as a profession, help us stay in touch with the society we serve and increase our resilience as a profession, welcoming, valuing and utilising a wider range of skill sets. So much of the world has been built by men and with men in mind, such that we miss perspectives and some skill sets, and utilising both these can improve outcomes for the benefit of all.

Dr Sue Paterson FRCVS, Senior Vice President

What’s one action we can take today to accelerate gender equality in the workplace?

Unconscious bias still hampers women to progress in some spheres of the profession. Whilst it is improving all the time, women should be considered on an equal footing with men in all career paths. Making more people aware of unconscious bias would help. 

How do you personally drive change in your role?

As a leader within the profession, I try to encourage everyone to be ambitious and strive to fulfil their potential. Often women look at different career paths whether they are a vet or nurse and rule themselves out unless they feel they are not a perfect fit. As professionals we are flexible, have a growth mindset and can mature and learn to fill new roles, so it is always worth having a go. 

What advice would you give to the next generation of women to help them accelerate progress in the professions?

Be ambitious, have some self-confidence and don’t be afraid to put yourself forward. You won’t be successful every time but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try and then try again. 

What challenges do women face in the veterinary field, and how can we take action to overcome them?

Women are often reluctant to put themselves forward for leadership roles. It would be good to showcase female leaders in the profession and highlight that not all of them were A* students - certainly I wasn’t! Many have worked their way up through the profession.

Given that veterinary is now a predominantly female industry, what does gender equality look like to you?

As a profession we are strongest when we are most diverse, whether that is gender, or socioeconomic background or ethnic diversity. We should reflect the society we serve. Whilst men are well represented in more senior roles in the professions, we need more young men coming into both professions, especially nursing.