Empowering women veterinary paraprofessionals through gender-responsive training

FAO

Empowering women veterinary paraprofessionals through gender-responsive training

Lessons learned

Year of publication 2025

Place of publication Rome, Italy ;

Pages 48 p.

Author FAO

Publisher FAO ;

Product type Book (stand-alone)

ISBN 978-92-5-139580-6

Full item page

To cite or share https://doi.org/10.4060/cd4109en

Synopsis (short abstract) Women make up two-thirds of the 600 million low-income livestock keepers globally. Despite their leading role in the day-to-day care of animals, they are severely underserved by veterinary extension and advisory services. Women frontline animal health professionals can be a crucial channel for reaching and addressing the needs of women livestock keepers, particularly in contexts where rigid gender norms restrict women’s interactions with male service providers. Yet, in sub-Saharan Africa, the veterinary workforce remains predominantly male, and women face significant gender-based challenges working in the field. These include pay gaps, conflicting family responsibilities, gender bias, sexual harassment, limited confidence, and insufficient technical training in animal restraint. As a result, many women professionals may shift to safer, more flexible, office-based positions (e.g. laboratory technicians stationed in clinics) or leave the profession entirely, furthering the gender gap in veterinary service access. Two FAO initiatives have developed and tested gender-responsive training packages for veterinary paraprofessionals to enhance productivity for both women and men livestock keepers while promoting capacity building and business sustainability for women and men frontline professionals. This paper provides an overview of how these training programmes were designed and implemented with a cross-cutting gender-responsive approach. It also shares key results, learnings, and recommendations that may benefit other stakeholders interested in integrating gender considerations into veterinary education programmes.

Cite this content as:

FAO. 2025. Empowering women veterinary paraprofessionals through gender-responsive training – Lessons learned. Rome.

https://doi.org/10.4060/cd4109en

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Language English

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