UC Davis Alumni Magazine Reports on an Endangered Species: Male Vets
The face of veterinary medicine has changed dramatically in little more than a generation. Until the 1950s, almost all veterinarians were men. In fact, many vet schools refused to admit women in the 1930s and 1940s.
The proportion of women graduating from veterinary school has gradually increased since the 1950s, and women now make up the overwhelming majority in all veterinary programs in the USA. Some veterinary schools purportedly have entering classes that contain no men at all.
The winter, 2009 issue of UC Davis Magazine reports on the situation at my alma mater.
[S]tudents in the D.V.M. program and a popular pre-vet undergraduate major are now 80 percent female.
That ratio at the School of Veterinary Medicine is a complete reversal from 35 years ago, when four out of five students were men.
Reasons for the increase in women, many veterinarians and students say, include declining discrimination, flexibility in work schedules, a shift in the profession from livestock to family pet care and better drugs and handling techniques that make physical strength less important. The decline in men may reflect salaries, which the veterinary association says were right behind those of doctors in the 1970s but are now about 60 percent of physicians’ average pay.
The demographic shift in veterinary medicine is obvious to everyone in the field. Most days I am the only male working in the office–all of the other vets and all of the receptionists, assistants and nurses generally are female.
Despite the speculation in the article, nobody truly understands why the gender balance has shifted in such an extreme way. I believe one of the reasons listed in the quote above is especially dubious. Comparing veterinarians to physicians is comparing apples to oranges–no vet I have met ever considered becoming a “real” doctor, and vice-versa. Also, it should be noted that most medical school programs are overwhelmingly female too.
Some in the profession blame the gender shift for the declining veterinary salaries mentioned in the article. I am very skeptical about that claim. In my experience the vets holding down salaries tend to be older and set in their ways. Those vets are mostly men.
Although the causes of veterinary medicine’s gender shift are unknown, I do believe that the extreme nature of the shift is bad for the profession. Just as our profession was weaker and less balanced when not enough women were in it, so it will be when there are not enough men.
Photo Credit: Andrew Dunn. Photo license: CC.
You have questions. 
In my experience, a lot of the health care professions (human or otherwise) are becoming female-dominated. My Physical Therapy batch had 80% female population. Occupational Therapy is even more skewed. The same for the staff I’ve worked with and interns I’ve handled. The same goes for nursing, med techs, pharmacists, and so on.
Must be something in the “nurturing” aspect that attracts women more, or maybe societal pressures that drive men to fields defined as more ‘masculine’ such as engineering?
The local vet clinics are also women-dominated. There are, gender-wise, no men (biologically counting, they are a minority)
Knew it! Born too soon. Raised on a ranch/farm and was on the “outside crew” by choice. We had Morgans and I worked with the breaking and gentling of them. Grandfather was also a blacksmith/farrier. I worked with him shoeing and making custom shoes to correct gait problems. I assisted in all medical problems for all the animals from baby chicks to breeding the Morgans and the Dairy stock. Yet when I applied to quite a few Vet Colleges, I was denied entry on the grounds that women lacked the physical strength to be Vets. Yet I put myself through University working as a vet assistant! Pissed off! You bet! Still!! To this day! But I have pushed against gender barriers and glass ceilings all my life! LOL I really like this blog and have recommended it to many!
I agree. Balance is the best way to go. Perhaps men will decide to join the profession when they realize it isn’t the amount of money you make that brings happiness. It is doing what makes your heart sing and then the money. ( Not that a full bank account isn’t a good thing. )
Our main vet is a man, and there’s one male vet tech in the office as well. But it, too, is a female-dominated vet clinic, owned by a female (the other vet), with female receptionists.
I totally agree there needs to be a balance. As with any profession, it loses something when there’s not a balance. Skewed either way, there’s a lot of experience lost.
Every vet in the office I go to is female! And they are good!
My regular vet is male, our IM vet is male and our cardiologist is male. I guess southern California is an anomaly because the majority of the vets at the large hospitals and clinics I’ve been to are male. At my regular vet’s office, there are four male vets and one female. At the specialty hospital where the IM vet and cardiologist are, 80% of the vets are male.
I have no preference one way or the other, just as long as they’re GOOD! I wouldn’t change my regular vet for anything. He treats my pets like I do and truly has their best interests at heart.
At the clinic we go to, there are 2 female doctors, 1 male doctor, and ALL of the techs are female. Our favorite of them is the new male vet, he extremely thorough and the pups like him. All of the doctors are great though… we wouldn’t go to them if they weren’t.
Hi! My vet is a male, but his assistants are female - he works in the government veterinary college in the city and has his private pet clinic - he often has students assisting him, which have mostly been female and young ones too. Though the vet is really nice and pleasant, the assistants are better. Generally i will run all around the clinic and never like to be caught by the vet. But, when i went a couple of weeks ago to get my anti-rabies vaccine, I was a very good doggie and did a great job - may be because only the assistant was around. anyway, my mom was happy that i did a good job. But in my country, it is still a male domiated profession, though in cities we do have female vets, in the rural areas, it is mostly (say 99%) male vets because there no one brings doggies or kitties, but only oxen and cows and such animals.
My pets go to a female veterinarian. We’ve only ever seen female vet techs and staff there. I have no personal preference of a female versus male vet. However, I am glad to see women break through a formerly male dominated career.
Our main vet is a male. The 2 other vets we have been to: one was a male and the other a female. So 2 out of 3 of our vets are actually male
My catfamily’s vets are both male. Referral/specialist is male. Vet techs female and kennel techs male and female. We’ve had them 20 years and have decided to keep them mol.
Present vet is female but the techs are evenly split and there are two male vets at the practice. Prior to this vet, the vets for the dogs is pretty evenly split by sex.
Our vet is a male, but we don’t care if it’s a male or a female, as long as they know veterinary medicine. We’ve had two females previously, and they both left rather quickly. One, because her husband’s job took her away; and the other after she had a baby. So, I didn’t look for a male vet, but I did look for one that was from our area, who seem to have family here, and had a smaller chance of “quitting us.”
My human mom works at a vet hospital. Two of the vets are male, and one is female. In terms of vet techs and assistants, all the ones that work there are female.
Our holistic vet is female (and so is her new partner). Our regular vet office has 2 males and one female. They are all wonderful, loving, professionals. We never thought about whether our docs were men or women. Here in our small town, most of the vets are older and male.
Our primary Vet is female. A holistic Vet she referred us to is female. Both are wonderful! Our dogs LOVE them.
Our vet is a male… I’ve never had a female vet, although not on purpose. I don’t care if they’re male or female, as long as they’re good!
Our vet is a female and she’s super good at her job. I’ve never had a male vet some reason.
My Vet is a woman and she is the best Vet I know. She is loving yet academic and always looks for a way to help an animal.