Dear Sir,
I wish to report similar findings to those highlighted by past-president Jeanne Lofstedt in her President's Message entitled Gender and Veterinary Medicine (Can Vet J 2003;44:533–535) within a smaller special interest group, the Canadian Association for Laboratory Animal Medicine/L'Association Canadienne pour la Medecine des Animaux de laboratories (CALAM/ACMAL), which is the national organization of veterinarians with an interest in laboratory animal medicine. Part of CALAM/ACMAL's mission is to advise interested parties on all matters pertaining to laboratory animal medicine. While laboratory animal veterinarians form only about 1% of the nations' veterinarians, the “trends” Dr. Lofstedt outlined in her message have been reported regularly within CALAM/ACMAL.
Approximately every 3 years, CALAM/ACMAL conducts a salary survey of its members. Once again, last fall, respondents reported significant differences in salaries between male and female members; also, where there were increases in salaries, female respondents reported slower income growth. I concede that any survey is only representative of those members participating in it, so it may not be reflective of the organization as a whole; however, this salary discrepancy has been reported in previous surveys. Furthermore, at the recent Canadian Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA) annual convention in Winnipeg, I understand presentations described similar trends in the United States, but not in Ontario. Perhaps the CVMA needs to more closely examine and determine the authenticity of this phenomenon and what the contributing factors are, and then to recommend appropriate action. At the very least, there is a need to know more about the regional and specialty differences now being reported.