The chart illustrates the number of male and female students in further education in Britain during three different time periods (1970/71, 1980/81, and 1990/91), categorized by whether they studied full-time or part-time.
Overall, part-time education was consistently more popular than full-time education for both genders throughout the three periods. However, there was a noticeable increase in female participation, especially in full-time study, while male participation remained relatively stable or declined slightly in some categories.
In 1970/71, around 1 million men and approximately 700,000 women were engaged in part-time education. By 1990/91, the number of women studying part-time had risen to just under 1.2 million, overtaking their male counterparts, whose numbers had slightly decreased to just above 900,000.
Regarding full-time education, men outnumbered women in 1970/71 (about 100,000 vs. 50,000). However, this trend reversed over time. By 1990/91, female full-time enrollment had more than doubled, surpassing 100,000, whereas male enrollment rose modestly to about 110,000, showing a smaller growth rate compared to women.
In conclusion, while part-time education remained dominant overall, there was a significant rise in female participation over the two decades, narrowing—and in some cases reversing—the gender gap in both study modes.