The bar chart illustrates the proportions of male and female students from different age groups who studied in Australia in either full-time or part-time education in 2006. Overall, the 20-24 age group recorded the highest percentages of students in both modes of study, regardless of gender. In general, women outnumbered men in almost all age groups and in both forms of education.
With regard to part-time education, 12% of males in the 15-19 age group were enrolled, while the figure for females was higher, at 17%. The largest proportion of part-time students was observed among those aged 20-24, with 40% of males and a peak of 42% of females. In the remaining age groups, the proportions of men and women were largely similar, except for the 30+ category, where men slightly exceeded women.
Turning to full-time education, a somewhat different pattern can be seen in the two youngest age groups. Among students aged 15-19, males accounted for 8%, which was 1% higher than females. However, this trend reversed in the 20-24 age group, where women once again outnumbered men, at 13% and 12% respectively. A similar pattern is evident in the two oldest age groups, with female participation standing at 8% and 12%, while male figures were consistently around 2 percentage points lower.