“I specifically requested one of the male vets, but it is just a vaccination so I do hope you’ll be able to do that …”
Emma Watson’s recent UN speech got me thinking about when I’ve experienced sexism during my professional life. I am a lecturer in equine medicine at the University of Surrey. In the UK about 85% of vet graduates are female and Emma’s speech hit on a truth that is perfectly illustrated in my experiences as a female veterinarian.
Shouldn’t happen to a vet
The above example is one of many. I turned up at a yard one morning to vaccinate horses. A middle-aged woman greeted me with the above statement, and at the time I smiled politely and quietly got on with my job while secretly thinking: “I’m more qualified and have dealt with a far higher and more complicated caseload than any of the male vets at the practice. I am more than capable of giving injections and filling in vaccination forms.”
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