Women veterinarians make less than their male counterparts, new research from Cornell University’s College of Veterinary Medicine has found — with an annual difference of around $100,000 among the top quarter of earners.

The disparity predominantly affects recent graduates and the top half of earners, according to the research.

Dr. Clinton Neill, assistant professor in the Department of Population Medicine and Diagnostic Sciences, and his collaborators, examined practice ownership income, experience and specialty certification.

The reasons for the earning inequality are challenging to identify but include unconscious bias, size of practices, less external financing and societal expectations as potential factors. Practice ownership and type of ownership also play a role. Partnerships, for example, are more beneficial for women’s income earning potential than sole proprietorships, while any form of ownership benefits men’s incomes. When it comes to the number of years worked, the study found that men move into higher income brackets at lower levels of experience than women.