Once upon a time, veterinary school classrooms were filled with male students. But these days, women are filling up more seats than men in the nation's 27 veterinary schools. Tufts is no exception.
Gaining acceptance to veterinary school is not an easy task. In addition to an exemplary academic record, a candidate must have field experience in veterinary medicine. The rigorous competition does not allow many applicants to gain admittance to the school of their choosing.
Of the 707 applications Tufts School of Veterinary Medicine received last year - 85 percent of which came from women - only 80 applicants were accepted. Of these, the mean grade point average was 3.46. The enrolled class of 2005 is 29 percent male and 71 percent female, and the class of 2004 is 17 percent male and 83 percent female.
According to Rebecca Russo, director of admissions at the veterinary school, the increase in female enrollment is due to the increased educational opportunities for women in America. "The veterinary profession was closed to women for a very long time," she said.
"There were fewer veterinary schools then than there are now and it was seen as a men's profession," Russo said.
Seth Groman, treasurer of the Pre-Veterinary Society, says the increase in female students is on par with the increase in gender equality in many academic fields. "Women are becoming more prevalent in all aspects of society, so why not in this field?" Groman said.
"Veterinary medicine is just like regular medicine with women becoming more prevalent," Groman said. "It is just more exaggerated in veterinary medicine because there are fewer veterinarians. I don't think women are being favored over men. They are just more qualified candidates most of the time."
Medical treatment of pets and other small animals has expanded, Russo said, there seemed to be a corresponding acceptance of women as veterinarians.
"Society has changed its opinion because they now think women can handle cats and dogs," she said.
Women have always been interested in the veterinary profession, Russo said, although they were not always able to be certified. "Initially a large number of women wanted to go into veterinary school and then suddenly the doors opened for them," Russo said. Many of the older male faculty at Tufts, for example, graduated with only a handful women.
Tufts veterinary school, which opened in 1979, is relatively young compared to other US vet programs. American's first veterinary school opened in 1875 at Iowa State University. University of Pennsylvania's veterinary school opened in 1883 and Cornell University's school opened in 1893. In their beginnings, men dominated each of these institutions.
The past decade has seen an increase in female veterinary students. There was a decline in both males and females in veterinary schools from 1984-1990. Applications picked up again in 1990, with a pronounced jump in female candidates.
Russo projects that this imbalance will not even out for another ten to 15 years.
This change does not reflect the same proportions in the veterinary profession - the number of practicing male veterinarians still outweighs female veterinarians. Until more women graduate and begin practicing, the veterinary field will consist mainly of men. But as more men retire and the more gender diverse classes enter the field, the ratio of practicing veterinarians will balance out.
