Structural, social, and safety barriers limiting mentorship participation among women in Kenya's animal health workforce: A cross-sectional survey of veterinarians and paraprofessionals.

Abstract

Background and aim: Mentorship is essential for strengthening workforce capacity, leadership development, and career progression in veterinary and animal health professions. Despite increasing participation of women in Kenya's animal health workforce, their engagement in structured mentorship programs remains constrained by multiple barriers. This study assessed the structural, social, and safety factors influencing mentorship participation among women veterinary and animal health professionals in Kenya and identified priorities for developing gender-responsive mentorship programs.

Materials and methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 127 female veterinary and animal health professionals representing 24 of Kenya's 47 counties. Participants were recruited using purposive and snowball sampling, and data were collected through a validated structured online questionnaire. Descriptive statistics summarized participant characteristics and perceived barriers, while Wilson 95% confidence intervals were calculated for key proportions. Pearson's chi-square tests were used to examine associations between structural, social, and safety barriers and mentorship participation outcomes, with statistical significance set at p < 0.05.

Results: Although 79.5% of respondents had previously received mentorship, 44.9% reported never or rarely receiving structured career guidance. The most common structural barriers were training costs (53.5%) and transport constraints (52.8%), whereas 60.6% frequently encountered stereotypes portraying animal health as a male profession. Professional competence was frequently questioned because of gender among 39.4% of participants, and 40.2% reported that safety or harassment concerns limited their participation in mentorship or professional development activities. Household and caregiving responsibilities also substantially restricted attendance at mentoring opportunities. Nine statistically significant associations were identified. The strongest relationship showed that combined exposure to safety concerns and gender stereotypes significantly increased withdrawal from professional opportunities (χ² = 19.30, p < 0.001). Career guidance was strongly associated with access to mentorship (χ² = 15.46, p < 0.001), whereas stereotype exposure was significantly associated with competence questioning, leadership exclusion, and professional withdrawal. Respondents prioritized flexible training schedules, financial and transport support, modular learning formats, safeguarding policies, and visible female role models to improve participation.

Conclusion: Women's participation in mentorship within Kenya's animal health workforce is constrained by interacting structural, social, household, and safety-related barriers. Developing gender-responsive mentorship programs that integrate financial support, flexible learning approaches, institutional safeguarding, and inclusive leadership policies will strengthen workforce equity, improve professional retention, and enhance leadership development across the animal health sector.