dc.contributor.author
Maurer, Bettina Adela
dc.date.accessioned
2018-06-07T20:43:53Z
dc.date.available
2000-12-14T00:00:00.649Z
dc.identifier.uri
https://refubium.fu-berlin.de/handle/fub188/7078
dc.identifier.uri
http://dx.doi.org/10.17169/refubium-11277
dc.description
Die komplette Dissertation im pdf-Format (1.008.156 Bytes):
maure.pdf
dc.description.abstract
Based on women vets´ career biographies, it was the object of this study to
point out opportunities and impediments encountered in the veterinary
profession as well as to investigate women-specific problem areas and explore
ways of coping with such difficulties. In this connection, the historic
development of the role of women in veterinary medicine was also taken into
consideration.
So far, apart from giving job-related comments and statistic surveys, women
vets were interviewed and asked to fill in questionnaires. These surveys
helped primarily in getting a general idea of the professional situation of
younger women. Due to the specific type of survey chosen they were, however,
inadequate in shedding light upon causes or decision-making processes that
have led to specific individual situations that vary from person to person. As
to the importance of women vets in history, their numbers and fields of work,
only few persons are mentioned in literature.
For this reason this study aims, on the one hand, at investigating the history
of women in veterinary medicine (chapter 3.2). This is achieved by looking
into the biographies of the first women vets - always keeping in mind the
stage of development of women education at the time as well as the specific
characteristics of the veterinary studies and the profession itself.
To this end and in order to find out the names of women vets and students, an
investigation was made into directories of vets and into other directories. In
addition to this, indexes of doctorates, license publications as well as -
restricted to the faculty of Berlin - registration lists and additional
documents from the archives were searched. The investigation revealed that,
between 1918 and 1945, 55 women, including six from foreign countries, had
successfully completed their veterinary studies - this number being much
higher than previously indicated in literature.
A large number of these first women vets - the majority of them from the
educated bourgeousie - chose the town of Berlin for their studies and future
doctorate. As one can see from their biographies, they later worked in all
veterinarian fields. The majority of them worked in practices, most of all in
large animal practice. The effects of wartime and the subsequent post-war
period strongly influenced most of their careers. Besides the difficulties
produced by the hard times there were, however, also outstanding
opportunities.
In order to compare the situation in Germany with the one in foreign
countries, the beginnings of women veterinary studies abroad were described.
In most European countries the first women vets completed their studies at a
later time than in Germany (only exceptions: France in 1896 and Britain in
1900).
A second aim of this study is to describe individual careers of women vets. In
qualitative interviews focusing on the career biographies of women vets having
graduated at different time periods and working in different veterinary
fields, the technique of "problem-centralized" interviews according to WITZEL
(1982) was applied. Using this technique the variety and complexity of the
professional life as seen by the individual women vets themselves could be
recorded. 25 interviews were analyzed and evaluated.
The lives of the three oldest women vets polled (chapter 3.3) have been marked
by the hardships of the post-war era - these special circumstances being a
determinating factor in both their university studies and curative profession.
After evaluating interviews with women vets having graduated between 1958 and
1989 (chapter 3.4), special emphasis was put on describing their ways of
coping with common as well as women-specific problems encountered in their
careers. Major problem areas turned out to be the difficulty in mixing family
life and career, the traditional organization of work and practice in Germany
and the acceptability as a women in specific working areas (mostly in large
animal practice and in managing positions).
In the former GDR, due to extensive governmental regulation, the mixing of
family life and cereer was no real problem for women vets as long as the
children were not ill. Mothers working full-time was a matter of course. Women
vets in the Federal Republic of Germany, however, mostly depend on private
regulations. It was not always the case that the women polled voluntarily
chose one of the three options: giving up their career altogether or working
part or full-time. Single parents who were not able to work part-time and
women who wished to continue working full-time but were not sufficiently
supported by their companions or spouses had to face many problems. 41 % of
the women with family polled had not been able to find a satisfying solution
for their personal situation.
Nowadays, women are more welcomed and accepted by both their clients and
colleagues. Nevertheless, even today and above all in large animal practices,
women tend to feel that they have to work harder than men and that they have
to prove their ability to assert themselves in order to be accepted as equal.
It is less the physical strain but rather the time burden that is mentioned as
a problem. The same applies for the fields of science and research.
By evaluating the accounts of the women vets polled, it becomes apparent that
women may find a satisfying career in all veterinary fields although not every
field may be appealing to each individual woman. It is quite common that women
work in different fields during their career or change their practice
specialization (i.e. the kinds of animals usually treated in a practice). Only
36 % of the women polled stayed in the same field or practice specialization.
Weighing all pros and cons, overall career satisfaction usually does not
wholly depend on the fact whether the women polled have been able to fulfil
their initial dreams and ideas or not. Career dissatisfaction usually results
from an incompatibility of family life and career, i.e. the inability to
satisfy personal demands with respect to career and personal life. 84 % of the
women polled were satisfied with their careers, but only 64 % would definitely
study veterinary medicine again if they had the choice.
If women vets felt discriminized during their studies, job search, or during
their career in general, this was usually not viewed as a political problem
but rather as an exception and as a problem to be solved by each person
individually.
Students and young colleagues should familiarize themselves at an early stage
with common and women-specific problems and demands they are likely to
encounter during their veterinary careers. By giving these problems serious
thought, they may be able to find personal satisfaction and avoid getting
dissappointed. This study may be helpful in this way and may also contribute
to building-up an awareness of history.
en
dc.rights.uri
http://www.fu-berlin.de/sites/refubium/rechtliches/Nutzungsbedingungen
dc.subject
veterinary-profession
dc.subject
veterinary-history
dc.subject.ddc
600 Technik, Medizin, angewandte Wissenschaften::630 Landwirtschaft::630 Landwirtschaft und verwandte Bereiche
dc.title
Frauen in der Tiermedizin
dc.contributor.firstReferee
Univ.-Prof. Dr. G. v. Mickwitz
dc.contributor.furtherReferee
Univ.-Prof. Dr. H. Martens
dc.date.accepted
1997-04-18
dc.date.embargoEnd
2001-02-06
dc.identifier.urn
urn:nbn:de:kobv:188-1998000657
dc.title.subtitle
Berufsbiographische Untersuchungen anhand der Lebensläufe der ersten
Tierärztinnen in Deutschland und qualitativer, berufsbiographisch orientierter
Interviews mit Tierärztinnen der Approbationsjahrgänge 1950 - 1952 und 1958 -
1989
dc.title.translated
Women in veterinary medicine
en
dc.title.translatedsubtitle
biographical career studies based on the life stories of Germany´s first women
vets and on qualitative career-oriented interviews carried out with women vets
having graduated during 1950 - 1952 and 1958 - 1989
en
refubium.affiliation
Veterinärmedizin
de
refubium.mycore.fudocsId
FUDISS_thesis_000000000056
refubium.mycore.transfer
http://www.diss.fu-berlin.de/1998/65/
refubium.mycore.derivateId
FUDISS_derivate_000000000056
dcterms.accessRights.dnb
free
dcterms.accessRights.openaire
open access