[The female veterinarian: then and now]

The position of the female student in Europe and the USA in the past, both in veterinary medicine and in other disciplines, is discussed. On the other hand the present situation is described. The first female veterinarian in the Netherlands was Jeanette Voet, who graduated in 1930. Of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine in Utrecht 1403 students are currently enrolled, 628 of them being females. In 1987, 70 per cent of the first-year undergraduates are females. The functions of female veterinarians who graduated are reviewed.