The table provides the data on students enrolling in six distinct departments of a particular Australian university in 2009.
Overall, female students accounted for a higher proportion than their male counterparts in most departments, except for the Math and Chemistry ones. Additionally, the percentages of students born outside Australia were the largest in both the Physics and Math departments, with the latter also being the most attractive to those whose mother tongue was not English.
Looking first at the proportion of female students, the English department topped the chart with 72%, closely followed by Modern Languages with 68%. Similarly, History and Physics also represented relatively high figures, with 52% and 58%, respectively. By contrast, female participation in Chemistry and Math departments was much lower than the others, ranging from merely 15% to 17%.
Turning to students whose first language was not English, the Math department registered the largest number of pupils at 49%, constituting nearly half of the total. The Physics, History, and Chemistry departments’ learners, meanwhile, hovered around 42%, whereas the remaining departments were at the bottom, with only 12% for English and 16% for Modern Languages.
Moving finally to students whose origins were not Australia, the percentages of these in the Physics and Math departments were identical, ranking first at 56%. The Physics department also had a significantly higher percentage of international learners (48% compared to 31%) than the History department. Notably, with only 20% and 23% of the total, the departments of English and Modern Languages continued being the least desirable options.