The idea for a book about female veterinarians ws born separately in each of us coauthors. It is perhaps a miracle that we found each other--we live in different areas of the country and have never met, except through correspondence and telephone conversations. Yet we managed , in spite of those geographical handicaps and different writing styles, to coauthor this book.
You may detect diverging voices and approaches as you read these twenty profiles. We hope that you overlook our disparities and enjoy and learn from each woman's experiences in a professional once considered a male domain.
As we began to select women for this book, it quickly became apparent that we could not interview every woman who has made significant contributions to veterinary medicine, not could we adequately chronicle the contributions that women now deceased have made to our profession. We were also aware that thousands of female veterinarians, receiving few awards or accolades, were quietly working at their chosen occupation, doing a good job, and contributing to society. We are all shaping the profession.
The women who were interviewed spanned three generations. In spite of our age differences, we share many parallels. Fifteen of us are firstborn or only children. Firstborns and only children have been described as perfectionistic, reliable, conscientious, loyal, goal-oriented, achievement-oriented, people-pleasing, self-sacrificing, and self-reliant. Dr. Kevin Leman, the author of The Birth Order Book, writes,"Firstborns typically go for anything that takes precision, strong powers of concentration, and dogged mental discipline. A much greater proportion of firstborns wind up in 'high achievement' professions such as science, medicine, or law." Dr. Lemon describes only children as super-firstborns.
We can take that characteristic of dogged mental discipline and extrapolate it to mean dogged determination. The women in this book do not take no for an answer. In fact, the challenge of "You can't do that" was irresistible to many of us. Several women stated that gender discrimination made them stronger and more focused toward their goals.
But who are we as people? We are just like other women. We are daughters, wives, and mothers. We are also single, divorced, and widowed. We are more apt to suffer from the superwoman syndrome than from the Cinderella complex. In other words, we tend to care for others and to take charge of our destiny rather than wait for external forces to transform our lives.
We come from rural, urban, and suburban settings. Our parents are professionals, white-collar workers, and blue-collar workers. Most of us had strong father role models who often served as our first mentors. For some of us, home elicits memories of family dinners and a nurturing family, but others are the adult survivors of families suffering from mental illness, alcoholism, and incest. We were shaped by our early experiences but not defined by them.
We have strong and often dissimilar values. We may be animal rightists or animal researchers, vegetarians or meat eaters, members of traditional religions or adherents of New Age spirituality. We share concerns about overpopulation and the environment. Money is not our primary motivator. We are driven by an internal value system. We want to make a difference.
And we do make a difference. Since 1983, female applicants to U.S. schools of veterinary medicine have outnumbered male applicants. It is projected that by the turn of the century approximately 33 percent of the veterinarians in this country will be female. In spite of problems forcast for the profession, such as low salaries, governement restrictions, and reduced livestock operations, we will find creative solutions and we will
perservere. It's our nature.
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