How can WOAH support women working in veterinary services? Focus on Nigeria
published on
04/03/2025
written by
Maryam Muhammad
Dr Muhammad is a leading Nigerian scientist in bacteriology, food microbiology, and molecular epidemiology, with a passion for developing vaccines for Africa’s livestock industry and ensuring accessibility for rural farmers. She has over four decades of experience in leading research projects, managing grants, and providing academic supervision, and currently serves as the Executive Director of the National Veterinary Research Institute (NVRI), Vom, driving a vision of excellence and innovative research. Additionally, she has coordinated the training of over 500 community animal health workers, resulting in improved livestock production, and has consistently authored high impact peer-reviewed scientific publications.
Marlène Buchy
Marlène joined WOAH in 2024 as the Organisation’s Strategic Gender Adviser. She has extensive experience as an academic and evaluator in the fields of natural resource management, governance and political economy analysis in South-East Asia and Central Africa.
Globally, the veterinary profession is undergoing a significant gender-related shift, with more women entering the field – including in some developing countries in South-East Asia [1]. However, gender disparities in veterinary services persist across many sectors of animal health, particularly in regions like West Africa [2]. Women already play a pivotal role in animal care, comprising about two-thirds of the world’s animal owners, amounting to an estimated 400 million women globally. In Nigeria, 48% of the rural population depends on livestock for their livelihoods, with women accounting for 51% of this demographic. Despite their significant contributions, women remain underrepresented in Nigeria’s formal veterinary services: while they comprise an estimated 20-30 percent of the national animal health workforce, very few women occupy positions of leadership [3].
Although women make up 60% of small-scale livestock keepers in the country, only 5% of women access agricultural extension services, which undermines the performance and efficiency of information or vaccination campaigns. The gender gap in access to veterinary services prevents women farmers from realising their full potential of enhancing farm production and safeguarding their livestock from diseases.
Recognising these conditions, WOAH has the opportunity to lead by developing a robust gender strategy to be applied across the Organisation. Such a strategy can help eliminate barriers to gender equality while fostering gender equity, diversity and inclusion within veterinary services [4,5,6]. In addition to making the veterinary workforce friendlier for women, a gender strategy is critical for building a workforce capable of addressing the complex challenges of animal health and disease control, which men and women play different but equally important roles in addressing.
The barriers faced by women in veterinary sciences in Nigeria, as observed by co-author Dr Maryam Muhammad, reflect broader challenges across the West Africa region and beyond. These include the following:
- Gender bias and stereotyping
Women in veterinary practice often encounter biases surrounding their professional competency, gendered expectations around professional roles, and workplace dynamics that hinder their career progression. Cultural norms and biased client perceptions further exacerbate these challenges. For example, as a young veterinarian and the only woman on her team, Dr Muhammad was considered insufficiently capable of enduring the long hours required to perform animal surgeries or carry out field missions for vaccination campaigns. She was thus always directed towards poultry clinics or laboratory positions. It was only after relentless requests that she was considered for wildlife and large animal ambulatory.
- Unfriendly working conditions
Women in Nigeria face excessive workloads as they are typically solely responsible for their families, including the care of sick children or elderly family members. Maternity leave provisions are inadequate: the Nigerian Public Service Rule (2022) states that women are entitled to 12 weeks’ maternity leave, six of which must be taken after the delivery, which contrasts with the science-based recommendation from the World Health Organisation and the United Nations Children’s Fund [7]. Women also often experience unwanted sexual advances when in the field [8]. Moreover, since it is generally not culturally accepted for women to travel alone, when they do so they are often considered to have ‘low morality’ or as ‘easy game’. Workplaces also often lack sexual harassment policies and complaint procedures, even while WOAH encourages Members to address sexual harassment in their policies. These factors deter many women from pursuing long-term careers in veterinary services.
- Limited access to professional development
Training programmes often fail to account for the unique needs of women, leading to an inflexible system that overlooks their perspectives and limits their opportunities for professional growth. Barriers preventing women from accessing training programmes can range from male colleagues being given consistent priority (especially in the context of leadership training) to more practical factors (such as the absence of appropriate changing rooms for women when protective gear is required for practical experiments). It is not uncommon for changing rooms to be located too closely to male changing rooms to be considered appropriate, or for changing rooms to lack minimum facilities such as hooks for hanging clothes. These little details make life difficult for women, whose integrity is constantly under social scrutiny. Gendered responsibilities at home are moreover often used by male leaders to justify not putting forward women for capacity-building responsibilities. Here, the role of male mentors dedicated to gender equity is crucial to helping women colleagues navigate these obstacles.
- Financial and psychosocial challenges
Women veterinarians have limited access to finance to develop their own private practice. Financial institutions require collateral for loans and women lack access to land/property tenure titles; they thus have to rely on family members or guarantors (typically high-level ranking officials), who also tend to be men. Women also lack access to mentorship networks, updated information and scientific knowledge, leaving them at a disadvantage in establishing thriving practices.
Although women make up 60% of small-scale livestock keepers in Nigeria, only 5% of women access agricultural extension services, which undermines the performance and efficiency of information or vaccination campaigns.
Women in Nigeria are underrepresented in senior roles across academia, policymaking and large animal practices, resulting in younger professional women in the veterinary sector lacking role models and mentors. Gender-based biases and stereotypes, combined with career interruptions due to maternity, restrict their upward mobility. WOAH can take a leadership role in addressing these challenges by supporting its Members in developing their own context-specific, gender-inclusive strategies: ones that can be applied to national veterinary and para veterinary services. Such strategies, adapted to local contexts, could include interventions within three domains:
- Policy advocacy
Promoting gender-sensitive workplace policies, such as addressing harassment, equal pay for equal work, maternity conditions, considering flexible working hours when needed, can create a more inclusive environment. Implementing quotas for female staff during recruitment or actively including women from national laboratories and public health institutions in WOAH activities could additionally boost representation [6].
Additionally, addressing cultural barriers to women’s participation in decision-making roles is vital. For example, awareness-raising campaigns promoting the role of women working in the animal health profession might help overcome cultural resistance to women treating cattle. Expanding access to financial resources and providing entrepreneurial opportunities for women could also be policy focal points. For example, policies might advocate for female professionals acting as guarantors to junior women professionals, or for educational credentials to serve as an alternative condition for accessing loans. WOAH can also help Members, where needed, to review existing workplace policies and procedures. The Performance of Veterinary Services (PVS) Pathway, WOAH’s flagship capacity-building programme for the sustainable improvement of national veterinary services, identifies norms that Members strive to adhere to [9].
- Development of mentorship programmes and supportive peer networks
Establishing mentorship initiatives can connect women with experienced professionals, providing guidance and support for career development. Creating communities of female veterinarians can foster resource-sharing, advocacy and collaboration [10]. WOAH could support networks of women veterinarians, who might hold meetings on the sidelines of the Organisation’s annual General Session of the World Assembly of Delegates held in May of each year. For example, in Nigeria, female veterinarians have a network that meets during annual meetings to discuss gender-related issues in the workplace. These meetings provide opportunities for young graduates to discuss how they would like to shape the future of veterinary services.
WOAH’s digital transformation, communication and publication resources could also be used to create platforms like The Animal Echo, with the aim of amplifying women’s voices in decision-making processes around key topics such as gender and artificial intelligence [11].
- Inclusive professional development programmes
Flexible training opportunities tailored to women’s needs can improve representation and career progression. WOAH can play a pivotal role in encouraging more girls to pursue veterinary sciences and supporting women’s advancement in the field. The PVS Pathway is a strategic entry point to highlight persisting areas of inequality and advocate for the recruitment of women across the services – including field, laboratory and epidemiology work – based on a quota system. WOAH Members could observe international days celebrating women in STEM or promote gender issues through international veterinary day, highlighting success stories of female veterinarians who have overcome significant obstacles. Additionally, documenting examples of the positive impacts of women veterinarians and para veterinarians on animal health, as well as on the profession more broadly, would help boost confidence in women practitioners and challenge stereotypes.
By championing gender equality initiatives, WOAH can help Members build a diverse and equitable workforce, ensuring that veterinary services are more accessible and effective for all.
The inclusion of more women in veterinary services is not just a matter of equity: it yields tangible benefits for the sector. Women’s leadership has been shown to enhance community engagement and service delivery, especially in regions where traditional gender roles dominate. Moreover, women livestock owners are more likely to share information with other women and are diligent in repaying loans, underscoring their potential to drive economic and social progress.
By championing gender equality initiatives, WOAH can help Members build a diverse and equitable workforce, ensuring that veterinary services are more accessible and effective for all.
WOAH’s commitment to developing a gender strategy will not only empower women in veterinary sciences, but also broadly strengthen the global animal health sector. By fostering diversity and inclusion, the Organisation can set a precedent for Members and ensure that the veterinary profession evolves to meet the challenges of the future.
Cover image copyright: Barispearl
References
[1] Kochkina O. Gender assessment of veterinary services in South-East Asia. Paris (France): World Organisation for Animal Heath; 2023. 46 p. Available at: https://rr-asia.woah.org/app/uploads/2023/07/woah-gender-assessment-report.pdf (accessed on 6 January 2025).
[2] Thierry AF, Fèvre S. The number of women in the veterinary sector is growing, but how inclusive is the profession globally?: spotlight on the training and professional integration of female veterinary professionals in Senegal and Togo. Paris (France): World Organisation for Animal Health; 2025. Available at: https://theanimalecho.woah.org/en/the-number-of-women-in-the-veterinary-sector-is-growing-but-how-inclusive-is-the-profession-globally/ (accessed on 31 January 2025).
[3] Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Bridging the gender gap in animal health services. Rome (Italy): FAO; 2024. Available at: https://www.fao.org/newsroom/story/bridging-the-gender-gap-in-animal-health-services/en (accessed on 11 February 2025).
[4] United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF). Glossary of Terms and Concepts. Kathmandu (Nepal): UNICEF; 2017. Available at: https://www.unicef.org/rosa/media/1761/file/Genderglossarytermsandconcepts.pdf (accessed on 11 February 2025).
[5] Hivos. Gender equality, diversity and inclusion. The Hague (Netherlands): Hivos; 2021. Available at: https://hivos.org/impact-area/gender-equality-diversity-and-inclusion/ (accessed on 11 February 2025).
[6] Alessandrini B, Alguerno MI, Lasley J, Sharandak V, Srivastava R. Shaping global veterinary services using an intersectional and gender-driven approach: making WOAH’s Performance of Veterinary Services Expert Pool more diverse. Paris (France): World Organisation for Animal Health; 2025. Available at: https://theanimalecho.woah.org/en/shaping-global-veterinary-services-using-an-intersectional-and-gender-driven-approach/ (accessed on 2 February 2025).
[7] World Health Organization (WHO). Breastfeeding. Geneva (Switzerland): WHO; 2025. Available at: https://www.who.int/health-topics/breastfeeding#tab=tab_2 (accessed on 11 March 2025).
[8] Okwanihe E. Women farmers kick against gender based violence in agriculture. Abuja (Nigeria): Voice of Nigeria; 2024. Available at: https://von.gov.ng/women-farmers-kick-against-gender-based-violence-in-agriculture/ (accessed on 11 February 2025).
[9] World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH). PVS Pathway. Paris (France): WOAH; 2025. Available at: https://www.woah.org/en/what-we-offer/improving-veterinary-services/pvs-pathway/ (accessed on 11 February 2025).
[10] De Balogh K, Stärk K. Untitled. World Organisation for Animal Health; 2025. Available at: https://theanimalecho.woah.org/en/gender/ (in press).
[11] World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH). The Animal Echo. Paris (France): WOAH; 2025. Available at: https://theanimalecho.woah.org/en/ (accessed on 11 February 2025).
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