The given charts compare the proportion of male and female who held driving licences in a European nation over several years, containing data for the overall population and young drivers ranging from 17 to 20 year-olds.
Overall, men consistently had higher license ownership than women, and the percentage of licensed drivers increased moderately over the period. By contrast, among 17-20 year-olds, the rate of licence holders dropped between 1996 and 2006.
In terms of the overall population, the proportion of male with driving licences rose gradually from approximately 70% in 1976 to around 80% in 2006. Over the same period, a similar upward trend was observed among female, whose data doubled from about 30% to 60%. Although men exceeded women in number, the gender gap was reduced by the end of the period.
Looking at the 17-20 age group, licence ownership among individuals in their late teens declined over the decade. In 1996, around half of young men held a licence, compared with 30% of young women, but by 2006 these figures had fallen to roughly 45% and 20% respectively.