phenomenon, and it is likely to exist also in professional categories such as veterinary surgeons. The aim of this study was to investigate possible differences in female and male veterinarians’ attitude towards animals. A convenience sample of veterinary surgeons in the field of small animals was recruited to participate at an online survey. All respondents completed a questionnaire regarding personal data as well as items related to their position about the importance of the Brambell’s five freedoms for the welfare of pet species and their actual protection. The questionnaire also included the Italian back-translated 20-item ethics subscale of the Animal Attitude Scale (AAS) (Herzog, Betchart & Pittman, 1991). Participants were 377, 41.1±9.4 years old, graduated in the period 1974-2015, working in different areas of Italy. The sample was formed by 261 female and 76 male veterinary surgeons. The answers provided by the two genders were compared using the Mann Whitney U test (p<0.05). The statistical analysis revealed significant gender differences for most of the attitude measures. In detail, women were found to consider more important, for the well-being of pets, the provision of an appropriate physical environment (U=7574.00; p<0.001), the freedom to express normal behaviour (U=8400.00; p=0.012), and the freedom from fear and distress (U=8432.00; p=0.012). In addition, women showed a higher AAS total score (78.8±11.4 versus 72.1±13.7; U=7062.00; p<0.001). However, no difference was found for the answers provided by women and men to items of AAS regarding pets, specifically where dog-fighting and dog shelters were mentioned. As hypothesized, gender affected the answers. Female veterinarians showed more concern for animal welfare issues than did males both in terms of importance given to the five freedoms for the welfare of pet animals and in sensitivity to animal use by humans. Further research should clarify whether such gender dissimilarity may imply relevant differences in the care and suggestions provided to owners when working as veterinary surgeons.
Attitude towards pets in veterinary surgeons: a comparison between femal and male veterinarians in Italy
Chiara Mariti
Primo
;Angelo GazzanoUltimo
2016-01-01
Abstract
phenomenon, and it is likely to exist also in professional categories such as veterinary surgeons. The aim of this study was to investigate possible differences in female and male veterinarians’ attitude towards animals. A convenience sample of veterinary surgeons in the field of small animals was recruited to participate at an online survey. All respondents completed a questionnaire regarding personal data as well as items related to their position about the importance of the Brambell’s five freedoms for the welfare of pet species and their actual protection. The questionnaire also included the Italian back-translated 20-item ethics subscale of the Animal Attitude Scale (AAS) (Herzog, Betchart & Pittman, 1991). Participants were 377, 41.1±9.4 years old, graduated in the period 1974-2015, working in different areas of Italy. The sample was formed by 261 female and 76 male veterinary surgeons. The answers provided by the two genders were compared using the Mann Whitney U test (p<0.05). The statistical analysis revealed significant gender differences for most of the attitude measures. In detail, women were found to consider more important, for the well-being of pets, the provision of an appropriate physical environment (U=7574.00; p<0.001), the freedom to express normal behaviour (U=8400.00; p=0.012), and the freedom from fear and distress (U=8432.00; p=0.012). In addition, women showed a higher AAS total score (78.8±11.4 versus 72.1±13.7; U=7062.00; p<0.001). However, no difference was found for the answers provided by women and men to items of AAS regarding pets, specifically where dog-fighting and dog shelters were mentioned. As hypothesized, gender affected the answers. Female veterinarians showed more concern for animal welfare issues than did males both in terms of importance given to the five freedoms for the welfare of pet animals and in sensitivity to animal use by humans. Further research should clarify whether such gender dissimilarity may imply relevant differences in the care and suggestions provided to owners when working as veterinary surgeons.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
