Women > Men (in numbers, that is)

By: Elizabeth Wormley

Iowa State Univeristy, Class of 2011

My, how times have changed. Not too long ago, my great aunt was essentially told to not even bother applying to veterinary school, as it was a man’s job. When taking a career aptitude test in high school (the year was 1959), her result was “farmer’s wife,” as that would be a good way for her to interact with and care for the animals she so adored.

Thankfully, a number of events happened over the course of the next fifty years to ensure I and other women were able to participate in the great profession of veterinary medicine. No single event was the sole reason behind the surge in women veterinarians, but a few key players include 1) federal legislation, 2) the published stories of James Herriot, and 3) the appeal to practice something one feels passionate about, yet still be able to balance a family. And while some may think that the increase in female veterinarians came primarily from the rising popularity of companion animal medicine (which may be true to a point), it’s important to note that women have a large presence in all aspects of veterinary medicine.

The U.S. federal government was instrumental to the rise of women in the veterinary profession. The Civil Rights Act, the Equal Pay Act, Title IX of the 1972 Education Amendments, and then later, The Women’s Educational Equity Act of 1974, all had a significant role in shaping the future of women in higher education. While each act played its part, the bottom line boiled down to women having a fair shot at attending a post-secondary school. Gender no longer mattered – what was inside counted.

The real-life, vivid stories of James Herriot’s work as a veterinarian captivated readers on an international level. Besides having the opportunity to pursue higher learning, women now took interest in a field to which on the whole they were not previously privy. And women, like men, were also able to find a way to find a harmonious balance between the time they spent working and the time they spent being a spouse and/or parent.

While I cannot speak for the men of the country, I can theorize a few reasons there are fewer applying to veterinary school today: 1) men often times feel they must be the primary breadwinner of a family, and many jobs offer more competitive salaries than does veterinary medicine for the same or less amount of schooling (for example, many physicians have a higher salary than veterinarians), and 2) much research has shown that females outpace males with regard to academic performance, which is a key criterion looked at during admissions into veterinary school.

For these reasons then, I don’t feel intervention by veterinary schools is necessary. With today’s “anything is possible” attitude, it is up to individuals to decide what profession they want to pursue, and to pursue it whole-heartedly.