International Women's Day 2020

International Women’s Day, 2020

International Women’s Day (IWD) this year takes the theme that an equal world is an enabled world with #EachforEqual aiming to achieve gender equality.

The field of animal welfare has a great track record in supporting women, with many charities and animal welfare groups being founded and led by women and in the past we have celebrated these amazing achievements of women on previous IWDs. Whilst we still are amazed and humbled at the success and impact that women have had in improving animal welfare, this year we want to shine a spotlight on the unsung heroes for animals. Across the globe many small holder farmers and animals keepers are women. Daily activities of caring for animals, providing food and water, shelter, comfort and dealing with injuries are all part of the roles that women take on in many countries. Their care helps to produce productive animals that can feed their families and ensure that children can access education. Working equids enable families to earn a greater income, or can mean that water or food is brought more easily to the family or for other animals. These daily duties to provide care and love for animals are often undervalued as trivial ‘women’s work’ but are a vital part of supporting people and animals in some of the poorest and least equal countries in the world.

JMICAWE’s work has been to provide education to veterinarians in animal welfare in some of these countries, and to help to understand how important these animal caring roles are and how they need to be appreciated and the women who do them empowered.  In the west animal care is often a female dominated profession, with over 60% of UK veterinary students being women, and women dominating in veterinary nursing, animal welfare courses and animal care. These jobs are incredibly important – not just for the animals under their care but also for the much wider societal benefits through #OneWelfare. We firmly support and believe that the work of women in animal care is part of enabling a better world for us all.