Abstract:

Women currently dominate college campuses in several western countries. Women’s college entrance rates are currently much higher than men. With females representing the majority of veterinary medicine students, it is problematic that females may not be receiving the best education possible due to the residue of male-centered practices. Therefore, the aim of this work was to assess if there were statistically significant differences between males and females in several parameters of academic performance in the veterinary career, i.e., entrance mark, final grades (final grade point average, GPA) and time for degree completion. The studied population consisted of 2016 students (852 males and 1164 females) that graduated from the Murcia Veterinary School since its initial graduation year (1986) to 2011. Two non-parametric tests (Kolmogorov-Smirnov test and the Mann-Whitney test) were used to assess potential statistically significant differences between males and females. The National exam marks the veterinarian graduates obtained prior to entering the school, are used to determine the student’s preparation upon admission. The average Entrance Mark or entrance GPA in the period 1986-2011 is 6.73 (range from the worst 0 to the best 10), with a small difference in favor of females (6.80), while males averaged 6.63. In almost every year, females arriving at the School had better marks than their male peers. The Graduation Mark (final GPA) is the average of all the marks which the students obtained after passing all the subjects of their studies. In this paper we use this data as a direct measure of the efficacy of the school to improve the initial qualification of the students, i.e., their level of academic performance. It was found that the final GPA remained stable while the EM increased during the period analyzed. When analyzing gender differences, an unexpected fact appears: almost every year, the mean of the male graduation mark is higher than those for females, as well as the whole population mean for each sex (7.03 in males vs. 6.97 in females). Therefore, the results show that the advantage the females had when entering the School is lost once they graduate. Finally, we also use the number of years for students to complete the five-year veterinary medical program as a measure of performance. The average number of years for a student to reach graduation is around 7 years, with the median 7.13 years. Again, there is an unexpected result related to gender: female students take longer to complete their studies than their male peers. The results of our research pose more questions regarding female veterinary medical students’ experiences in our classrooms. Additional research is needed by other veterinary medical programs to investigate whether or not this phenomenon is peculiar to our specific program or if it also may be observed in other programs of study. Solutions and improvements in the classroom and the discipline can maximize the environment for all students and faculty, especially women. There is significant value to veterinary medical students and faculty in learning about and understanding women’s development. Ultimately, such knowledge benefits everyone in veterinary medicine and supports the advancement of women in the profession. This impacts the academic environment in teaching and learning.

Keywords:

Sexes, university, education, performance.