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Effect of gender on ownership and income in veterinary practice
1School of Veterinary Science, The University of Queensland. t.heath@mailbox.uq.edu.au
Objective:
To estimate the effect of gender on ownership and income in veterinary practice in Australia.
Methods:
Questionnaire completed by private veterinary practitioners, and analysed using the SAS System for Windows 7.0.
Results:
More than three-quarters (78%) of male but 36% of female private practitioners were partial or sole owners of practices. The median annual income for all male practitioners working more than 40 hours/week was $70K, but that for females was $43K. These disparities existed in both city and country practices, and in the case of income it increased with increasing time in the workforce. Male practice owners also reported higher incomes than female owners.
Conclusions:
Female veterinary practitioners are less likely to own practices, and more likely to earn low incomes than males. These differentials do not appear to be due to location, hours worked or years since graduation or, in the case of income, to whether they are owners or employees. The evidence points to a lower interest by women than men in the business aspects of veterinary practice.