The AVA Annual Conference is the nation’s premier veterinary event, covering all fields of veterinary science and in 2017 brought together over 920 veterinary professionals and 115 exhibitors.
We are living in interesting times where traditional norms are being thrown out the window both at work and at home. They are both important because of the roles that are played or expected can impact decisions in both realms. This is now impacting the number of women in the workforce and challenging the way things have been done. According to the ABS in 2016-17, the labour force participation rate of people aged 20-74 years was 66% for women and 78% for men. In 2016-17, almost half of employed women worked part time (45%), compared with 16% of employed men. This proportion rose to three in five (61%) of employed women with a child under 5, while less than one in ten fathers of young children worked part-time (8.4%). Whilst women are still the primary carers of children this will pose challenges for families as well as for businesses - but there is a silver lining.