National Women’s Equality Day 2020

The SAVMA Cultural Outreach Officers with the help of our Integrative Communications and Diversity Committee put together this incredible statement for National Women's Equality Day. 

Today, August 26th, 2020, SAVMA recognizes and celebrates National Women’s Equality Day. This day commemorates the 1920 adoption of the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution which prohibits the states and the federal government from denying the right to vote to citizens on the basis of sex¹. As we acknowledge this milestone in our nation's history, we must also reflect on the current status of gender equality within the veterinary profession, as well as the ongoing needed efforts to address gender discrimination that continues to persist.

Various inequalities within the veterinary profession continue to linger for women today including significant gender pay gaps² and a lack of women represented in roles of leadership in the veterinary profession. Although women comprise over 60% of the veterinary profession, less than 50% of women are represented in organized veterinary leadership including in the AVMA House of Delegates and the AVMA Board of Directors³. Despite efforts made to address issues of under/misrepresentation of women in STEM fields including veterinary medicine, the issues of gender bias and discrimination often still persist⁴. With such a prominent presence of women in the veterinary profession today, it is of utmost importance that we recognize these disparities and take action to diminish and abolish these inequalities. We should be celebrating our majority woman-identifying demographic. We must continue to encourage one another to be leaders of social justice, equity, and equality within our communities.

Following recent events of reported derogatory and abusive language used by U.S. Representative Ted Yoho, a veterinarian, toward U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, SAVMA feels it is important to directly condemn misogynistic and disrespectful conduct in any circumstance, especially toward women. Political beliefs aside, there is no excuse for disparaging verbiage in any situation, and as veterinarians we must hold ourselves to a higher standard to ensure professional conduct is consistently maintained. 

As future leaders of the veterinary profession, SAVMA is proud to be paving the way for promoting women in veterinary leadership. Collectively, women comprise over 70% of leadership within the Student AVMA including the SAVMA Presidents/President-Elects and the SAVMA House of Delegate Committee Chairs, with over 90% representation on the national executive board. We not only affirm a commitment to gender equity, anti-racism, and diversity and inclusion initiatives, but we also make a commitment to supporting the students that we represent. This commitment will be achieved by providing resources and continued actionable and equitable approaches to address these concerns, and to promote growth and progress within veterinary medicine for all. These resources and approaches include forging collaborations with WVLDI, PrideSVMC, and other organizations focused on gender inclusivity and equity, as well as providing gender inclusive educational resources and opportunities for veterinary students.  

1. 19th Amendment adopted. (2010, February 09). Retrieved August 25, 2020, from https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/19th-amendment-adopted
2. Mattson, K. (2018, November 28). Mind the pay gaps. Retrieved August 26, 2020, from https://www.avma.org/javma-news/2018-12-15/mind-pay-gaps
3. From groundbreakers to disease hunters to Nazi fighters: A look at notable female veterinarians on International Women's Day. (n.d.). Retrieved August 26, 2020, from https://www.avma.org/news/press-releases/groundbreakers-disease-hunters-nazi-fighters-look-notable-female-veterinarians
4. Begeny, C. T., Ryan, M. K., Moss-Racusin, C. A., & Ravetz, G. (2020). In some professions, women have become well represented, yet gender bias persists—Perpetuated by those who think it is not happening. Science Advances, 6(26). doi:10.1126/sciadv.aba7814