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Journal of
the Association for Management Education and
Development
Volume 22 ● Number 3 ● Autumn 2015
Guest Editor: Simon Raby
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e-ORGANISATIONS & PEOPLE, AUTUMN 2015, VOL. 22, NO. 3 PAGE 34 www.amed.org.uk
Women’s Entrepreneurship and the
Future of the Veterinary Profession
Colette Henry and Elizabeth L. Jackson
women will not come forward to take on the veterinary business and entrepreneurial leadership roles
previously filled by men. This raises concerns in relation to the future of the profession as a whole. In this
article we discuss some of the reasons behind the current gender disparity in veterinary business and
entrepreneurial leadership roles, and suggest some potential solutions. Specifically, we highlight the role of
veterinary schools in shaping the female veterinary business and entrepreneurial leaders of the future.
Key words
Veterinary profession, women, entrepreneurship, careers, education, curriculum, SMEs.
Introduction
The veterinary sector is witnessing an unprecedented shift toward a predominately female workforce, with
women now making up around 80% of the veterinary student population (Woodfield, 2014) and over half of
practicing veterinarians. Figure 1 gives us an idea of the extent of the demographic change in the
profession in recent years.
Furthermore, recent data (Buzzeo et al, RCVS, 2014) suggest that today’s veterinary profession is
characterized by young female vets, mainly working full time in small animal practices. Yet there are
surprisingly fewer women than men at principal/director/partner level in these ‘veterinary Small and Medium-
sized Enterprises (SMEs)’. In fact, there are more than twice as many male as female sole principals, and
more than four times as many male as female directors or equity partners. Another example is the
leadership roles that are filled by men in the profession. While Table 1 below shows the gender imbalance
within leadership roles, it also provides further evidence that, despite an increase in the number of women
entering the profession, leadership roles – whether business or clinically-oriented - are still being filled by
men.
The veterinary profession, once
traditional and predominately male, is
becoming increasingly feminized, with
women now making up some 80% of the
veterinary student population, and over
half the veterinary workforce. Given the
fact that there are significantly fewer
female than male business owners and
entrepreneurs globally, across all
sectors, there are growing fears that
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e-ORGANISATIONS & PEOPLE, AUTUMN 2015, VOL. 22, NO. 3 PAGE 35 www.amed.org.uk
Figure 1. The Changing Veterinary Demographic
Source: Adapted from RCVS (2014, p. 16)
Table 1: Gender imbalance and positions of leadership in the UK veterinary profession
RCVS* specialists
RCVS Fellows
1994
2014
1994
2014
Male
87%
60%
92%
90%
Female
13%
40%
8%
10%
Source: Vet Futures (2014) (* Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons)
In this short article, we aim to highlight the need to address this gender imbalance. We discuss some of the
reasons behind the current disparity in veterinary business and entrepreneurial leadership roles, and suggest
some potential solutions. We focus specifically on the role of veterinary schools in shaping future female
veterinary business and entrepreneurial leaders.
Women in the workplace
There is a strong body of evidence supporting the view that women in the workplace across a range of
sectors continue to be disadvantaged by their gender, and are often seen as unsuitable for business
leadership or management positions because of concerns around maternity leave and family responsibilities
(Carter & Marlow, 2007; Henry, 2008). Given the veterinary profession’s particular reputation for unsociable
working hours and the potential vulnerability of late night emergencies in isolated locations, some of the
fears highlighted by researchers over a decade ago (Slater & Slater, 2000) still seem to be valid today. More
disturbingly, perhaps, are the more recent concerns around women veterinarians’ mental health and well-
being, with the finding from one particular study that women in the profession may be at greater risk of
suffering from depression than their male counterparts (Bartram et al., 2009). Evidence of this nature, when
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e-ORGANISATIONS & PEOPLE, AUTUMN 2015, VOL. 22, NO. 3 PAGE 36 www.amed.org.uk
considered in conjunction with mainstream gender debates (Marlow & Patton, 2005), leads to fears by some
commentators that the feminization of the veterinary profession could have a detrimental impact (Henry,
Baillie & Treanor, 2010). A reduced level of respect for the profession, decreasing revenues and a
diminishing level of specialization as a result of women focusing solely on small animal practices are just
some of the concerns that have been voiced by commentators.
Employment preferences of male and female Vets
The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA, 2015) recently published research about the
employment preferences of female vets. They found that, while men want to work more hours per week,
women want to work fewer hours per week - particularly those female vets who were five years post-
graduation.
Source: © Royal Veterinary College
Intuition suggests that this is because women want to balance work-life with family-life. The consequence of
this knowledge is that vet practices of the future will be dominated by women who may be forced to perform
better under conditions of reduced work hours. As such, vet practices of the future will have multiple
employees fulfilling full time roles. This will require a high level of human resource organization, which is
particularly important in a health care sector such as the veterinary profession, where clients often want
consistency with the practitioner treating their pet. All of this suggests an urgency to ensure that women
approaching the profession are adequately equipped with leadership and entrepreneurial skills, not only for
their own survival and job satisfaction, but also for the sustainability of the profession. Since it appears that
women will be leading the vet profession in years to come, it is essential that they develop the relevant skills
- such as human resource management, effective communication and establishment of emotional
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e-ORGANISATIONS & PEOPLE, AUTUMN 2015, VOL. 22, NO. 3 PAGE 37 www.amed.org.uk
boundaries, among others - to fulfil leadership roles to avoid the profession potentially being led by “men with
loud voices.” Entrepreneurial skills would include creativity, innovation, business planning and financial
management. Such skills could help ensure the sustainability of the private (SME) sector and generate
potential new veterinary products and services.
Career disillusionment
Recent surveys also suggest that female vets are disillusioned with their future career trajectory. Not only do
they seem disinterested in both potential business leadership roles within existing veterinary practices, and
entrepreneurial roles required to establish new ones, but also some may be planning to leave the profession
altogether. The RCVS (2014) presents data to show that women are more dissatisfied than men on the
grounds of four key areas of work satisfaction thereby raising serious concerns about the future of the
veterinary sector:
1. Satisfaction of salary level,
2. The support given by their employer,
3. The profession offers good opportunities for those wishing to work part-time,
4. The profession is a ‘family-friendly’ profession in which to work.
The gender and career literatures have reported for some time that women tend to have lower career
expectations than men, and are more likely to limit their aspirations because they believe they lack the
necessary capabilities (Bandura, 1992). With specific regard to the veterinary profession, there had been
some (earlier) evidence to suggest that women veterinarians rate their financial, business and management
skills lower than their male counterparts (Brown and Silverman, 1999). Interestingly, such skills, in
conjunction with self-efficacy development, tend to be lacking in veterinary educational curricula, despite
their growing importance in veterinary practice (Kogan et al., 2005).
Cross-sectoral trends in women’s entrepreneurship
If we start to consider the general trends in women’s entrepreneurship across other sectors, these concerns
become even more pronounced. Let’s just reflect on what we know already:
1. Women – not only in the UK but in the majority of countries - are half as likely as men to start a new
business – any business;
2. Women tend to perceive business leadership and entrepreneurship differently to their male
counterparts;
3. Women tend to have less belief in their business and entrepreneurial leadership abilities than men;
4. Business leaders and entrepreneurial role models tend to be predominately male.
In short, regardless of the reasons, and regardless of the business sector, women are simply less prepared
than men to come forward to take on the role of entrepreneur or business leader. If these trends are
reflected in the veterinary sector – and so far, we have no reason to suggest that they won’t be – then who
will lead and/or create the veterinary businesses of the future if women simply don’t want to (or feel they
can’t)?
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e-ORGANISATIONS & PEOPLE, AUTUMN 2015, VOL. 22, NO. 3 PAGE 38 www.amed.org.uk
Towards a solution
So, what do we do? Well, one thing is certain: we must not think that we can just do nothing. That strategy
didn’t work for women’s entrepreneurship generally, so there is no reason to think it might work within the
veterinary business sector. Reflecting on this evidence, it seems incumbent on the entire veterinary
profession to adopt a proactive approach to managing the gender shift. Given that fundamental skills such as
self-efficacy are not static and have the potential to change over time (Hollenbeck & Hall, 2004), and that
targeted education has been shown to make a difference in other sectors (Wilson et al., 2007), it would seem
logical to assume that structured intervention in veterinary curricula could have a significant and positive
impact.
If we want to avoid a drastic reduction in the number of private veterinary SMEs, a significant increase in
corporatization (currently at 20% of practice ownership but predicted to be at 50% by 2020), and a
profession that is run by the ‘best of the worst’, then we need to stop talking about the ‘problem’ and start
implementing solutions. In this regard, there isn’t a single big solution. Rather, it’s going to take several
small but strategic solutions being implemented across the sector - an incremental rather than a radical
approach to solving the problem. If we look at the veterinary profession as being part of a wider animal
health system (see Figure 2 below), then we can immediately see how every stakeholder – whether male or
female - has an important role to play in developing the future of the sector from a business and
entrepreneurship perspective. Indeed, by sharing their experiences of the profession, acknowledging that
the masculinized veterinary workplace must now make way for a more feminized profession, male
veterinarians could play a critical role in developing future female veterinary leaders. For example, by
mentoring young female veterinarians and providing them with real career development and leadership
opportunities in their practices, experienced senior male veterinarians could send a very positive signal to
the rest of the profession.
Figure 2: The Wider Animal Health System
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e-ORGANISATIONS & PEOPLE, AUTUMN 2015, VOL. 22, NO. 3 PAGE 39 www.amed.org.uk
Opportunities and challenges for Vet Schools
While every stakeholder in the animal health system is important and can have an influence, clearly, vet
schools are at the heart of the system because they have a captive audience of young and enthusiastic
veterinary students over a prolonged period. Thus, the eight vet schools that currently exist in England and
Scotland (see Figure 3 below) have a huge opportunity to develop young women’s entrepreneurial and
leadership potential. However, first and foremost, veterinary educators need to be particularly mindful that
women have a different perspective on business and entrepreneurship when compared to men, and this
needs to be accounted for in module content and pedagogy.
Figure 3. Map of Veterinary Schools in the UK
Source: Adapted from Wiki Commons
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e-ORGANISATIONS & PEOPLE, AUTUMN 2015, VOL. 22, NO. 3 PAGE 40 www.amed.org.uk
Furthermore, veterinary educators need to focus on ‘integrating’ rather than ‘inserting’ business and
entrepreneurship into the curriculum. Here, they face a dual challenge. This consists of:
1. Encouraging veterinary students to accept that a veterinary practice is essentially a business - an
“SME” to be precise – rather than a free service or not-for-profit venture.
2. Encouraging female vet students to see themselves as SME leaders and entrepreneurs to the same
extent as their male counterparts.
So, a change of mindset is required - hence the critical role of veterinary educators in preparing future
veterinary business leaders and entrepreneurs. The veterinary curriculum of the future may need to include
some grounding in gender theory, self-efficacy development, business management and enterprise skills,
creativity, confidence-building (Henry & Treanor, 2012), and some discussion around workplace challenges
and career management would feature strongly in the module content. Appropriate case study and reading
material may also need to be identified, along with potential internal and external experts to assist in
curriculum delivery. Furthermore, with regard to supporting graduates already in practice, vet schools could
also have a valuable role to play in providing entrepreneurship CPD (Continuing Professional Development)
programmes. Other avenues to explore could be creating inter-professional links with women leaders and
entrepreneurs in other professions and sectors who face similar workplace challenges, e.g. teachers,
accountants and lawyers.
Conclusions
The two-pronged approach to develop both under and post graduate business and entrepreneurial
leadership potential, as outlined above, could be highly effective, facilitating opportunities for female
veterinary undergraduates to learn from young female graduates who are developing their entrepreneurial
skills in the workplace. In terms of making this new way of thinking effective, Taylor and Robinson (2009)
suggest that veterinary adult education (both university and CPD) requires a response to the growing
number of female students, so that female-centric ways of knowing (e.g. care and responsibility) are better
balanced with male-centric ways of knowing (e.g. justice and understanding rights and rules).
However, notwithstanding the above discussion, veterinary schools are only one component of the animal
health sector. Private practices, the corporate sector, professional bodies and those involved in the wider
animal health system also have an important role to play in working alongside veterinary entrepreneurship
educators. Perhaps it’s time for some joined-up thinking here, so that we can develop a truly collaborative
veterinary entrepreneurship/business education system for the future - one that both accounts for and values
the contribution of women.
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e-ORGANISATIONS & PEOPLE, AUTUMN 2015, VOL. 22, NO. 3 PAGE 41 www.amed.org.uk
References
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Self-efficacy: Thought control of action, pp.3-38, Washington, DC: Hemisphere.
Bartram, D.J., Yadegarfar, G. and Baldwin, D.S. (2009). A cross-sectional study of mental health and well-
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e-ORGANISATIONS & PEOPLE, AUTUMN 2015, VOL. 22, NO. 3 PAGE 42 www.amed.org.uk
About the authors
Professor Colette Henry is Head of Department of Business Studies at Dundalk Institute of Technology,
Ireland, and Adjunct Professor of Entrepreneurship at UiT - The Arctic University of Norway. Her previous
roles include Norbrook Professor of Business & Enterprise at the Royal Veterinary College, London, and
President of the Institute for Small Business & Entrepreneurship (ISBE). An invited Fellow of the Royal
Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures & Commerce (RSA), Colette is also Editor of the
International Journal of Gender & Entrepreneurship (IJGE). She has published widely on topics relating to
women’s entrepreneurship, entrepreneurship education and training, the creative industries, social
enterprise and veterinary business. Her latest book - Veterinary Business & Enterprise - has just been
published by Elsevier. Colette is also a Visiting Professor at Birmingham City University, and a Visiting
Fellow at CIMR, Birkbeck, London. You can contact Colette @ Colette.Henry@dkit.ie
Dr. Elizabeth Jackson is a Lecturer in Business at the Royal Veterinary College, UK. She joined the
College in 2014 and is responsible for teaching business and entrepreneurship to veterinary, veterinary
nursing and bio-veterinary science students, as well as post-graduate students. Elizabeth’s research
interests include developing the profile of veterinary business management in the profession, understanding
veterinary business structures and working with food supply chains to improve efficiency. Upon completing
agribusiness marketing under-graduate studies at Curtin University in Western Australia, Elizabeth spent
time working in various aspects of the grain industry: operations, human resource management and
biotechnology. During this time, she was studying for an MBA. Elizabeth then went back to full-time PhD
study to examine the behavioural determinants of farmers and their attitudes toward using forward contracts
for selling wool. This qualification led to a lectureship at Newcastle University (UK) where Elizabeth lectured
in agribusiness management, food marketing and supply chain systems. You can contact Elizabeth @
eljackson@rvc.ac.uk .
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