The table displays data on the percentage of undergraduates choosing various science subjects over a 20-year period. Overall, it is clear that in the beginning, male students preferred science subjects significantly more than their female counterparts. However, by the end of the period, the gap between the two genders had decreased substantially, indicating that female students nearly caught up.
In terms of subjects, biology was the most popular choice, while computer science was the least selected. Nonetheless, this trend changed by the end of the year, with computer science becoming the second most chosen subject. In 1992, the percentage of male students opting for science courses was twice that of female students, with 65% of males and 32% of females choosing these subjects. By 2012, noticeable changes had occurred, including a 15% increase in female participation and a 15% decrease in male participation, which narrowed the gap between them. Despite this progress, the number of female students still could not surpass that of their male counterparts.
Regarding subject choices in 1992, biology was the most popular subject with 65% of students selecting it, while computer science had the lowest percentage at 5%. However, by the end of 2012, significant changes had occurred, including a 20% decline in the proportion of students choosing biology, which still remained the highest subject choice, and a 20% increase in those selecting computer science. By the end of the year, computer science had improved to become the second most selected subject, surpassing physics by approximately 5%.