Increasingly, veterinarians prefer to practice in cities rather than rural areas, says a paper at the Center for Agricultural and Rural Development. Authors Tong Wang and David Hennessy say “cattle and horses are increasingly served by male veterinarians” while female vets are more likely to work with small animals. Women account for half of U.S. veterinarians, up from 27 percent 20 years ago. Wang is a postdoctoral research associate at Texas A&M. Hennessey is an economics professor at Iowa State University.
“Having sought to control for other factors, our results suggest both genders express a disinclination to locate in rural areas and also that this disinclination has grown over time,” they write. Vets may locate in urban areas because they “were passed over by previous generations of practitioners.” The authors say, “Aversion to rural areas has remained fixed over time among males but has strengthened among females.”