The bar chart provides information about the enrollment rates for several university subjects in 2005, sorted by gender.
What is most striking when looking at the data is that Social Sciences recorded the highest number of applicants and was simultaneously, the most famous among female undergrads. As for their male counterparts, it was Natural Sciences that was most chosen. It is also important to note that while the gender disparity is virtually clear among the listed subjects, gender balance was met in Humanities when both genders registered the same number of enrollments.
Looking first at the male-dominated majors, mathematics recorded the largest gender gap among applicants with approximately 18000 from male students, as compared to the 4000 from girls – the lowest figure by female students. Trailing closely behind, the 11000 difference in Sciences meant that while this subject was not unpopular among females, boys’ striking 21000 applications made it the most common among male students. Law’s male students shared the same 10000 with that of Natural Sciences’ female students, however even here, a discernible gender divide still existed when only 6000 girls enrolled for this subject.
Languages, the Arts, and Social Sciences stood out as the subjects that were predominately chosen by female students. Languages received the second highest number of applicants from girls with 18000, nine-times the number recorded for boys – making Languages the most female-dominated major surveyed. A slightly less defined gender imbalance could be observed in the Arts’s figure when only a mere 3000 male students chose this subject, which was one-third of their female cohorts’ numbers. Despite registering the highest enrollment rate of female applicants, standing at 24000, its gender difference was not the widest because males’ figures were approaching the 15000 mark.
Absolute gender parity was only accomplished in Humanities Studies when about 11000 students from each gender signed up for it. Humanities also came third on female undergrads’ most-common-major rankings and fifth on males’.