The bar chart compares the number of male and female engineering students at Australian universities at ten-year intervals between 1992 and 2012.
Overall, the number of male students decreased slightly over the two decades, while the number of female students steeply increased. Despite these opposing trends, men consistently outnumbered women throughout the entire period.
In 1992, male enrollment stood at its peak of 14,000 students. This figure dropped to 12,000 in 2002, and remained unchanged over the next decade. Conversely, female enrollment began at a much lower base of 2,000 in 1992. However, this number doubled to 4,000 and continued to climb, reaching 6,000 by the end of the period.
A closer look at the data reveals a shift in the ratio between the genders. In 1992, male engineering students were seven times as many as female students. By 2012, despite the gradual decrease in the former and steady growth in the latter, the ratio had fallen to exactly two male students for every female student.