Demographics, moral orientation, and veterinary shortages in food animal and laboratory animal medicine

The demographics of the veterinary profession have changed dramatically in recent years, with the most striking change being the gender shift within the profession. Women comprised just 10% of veterinary practitioners in 1970. In contrast, by 1985, more than 50% of the students attending veterinary schools in the United States were female, and by 1992, that proportion had risen to 64%. Today, just under 80% of students entering veterinary schools in the United States are female, with some veterinary school classes being 100% female. Female practitioners outnumber males, and it is estimated that women will comprise 67% of veterinary professionals by 2015. 1 A full discussion of the reasons for this demographic shift is beyond the scope of the present commentary, but similar, although less dramatic, changes have been occurring in the other health professions. 2,3