Feminisation of sector ‘behind farm vet shortage’

The increasing “feminisation” of the veterinary sector could be causing a reduction in the number of farm vets, it has been claimed.

New figures published by the Association of Veterinary Students reveal that only one in ten students wish to be a farm vet – compared to one in two ten years before, the Observer reports.

The newspaper notes that as many as eight in ten undergraduates accepted into the country’s veterinary schools are now female and that many such women are put off country animal health work because of the night and weekend work it entails.

It adds that this issue is exacerbated by the fact a pregnant woman cannot go near sheep for fear of illnesses such as toxoplasmosis and listeriosis, causing some vets to turn to small animal practices.

David Catlow, past president of the British Veterinary Association, told the Observer: “If you are a woman with a young family, then the hours of a small animal vet are much better.”

As early as 2003, the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons published a report which suggested the feminisation of the sector meant that an increase in demand for surgeons is inevitable.

Furthermore, it found that it is not just mothers who want to a shorter working week but men and women.