The bar chart illustrates the number of males and females engaged in further education in Britain, indicating whether they were studying full-time or part-time. The data is divided into three distinct periods.
Overall, the number of men and women studying part-time significantly outnumbered those studying full-time. While the figures for both modes of study were relatively similar between the sexes, there was notable variance, particularly in the 1990s, when the number of women studying part-time increased substantially.
In terms of full-time education, the number of male students roughly doubled from around 100,000 in 1970 to over 200,000 by the end of 1991. In contrast, the trajectory for women was less consistent; their numbers rose sharply in the first decade but then tapered off, reaching a level nearly identical to that of men in the 1990s.
The number of males engaged in part-time study fluctuated over the three periods, dropping from approximately 1 million to 900,000. Meanwhile, the number of women studying part-time steadily increased from nearly 800,000 in 1970-71 to well over 1 million by 1990-91.