The line graphs illustrate the rate of 18-year-old males and females continuing in secondary education in 4 European countries (Norway, UK, Italy, Spain) from 1996 to 2003.
Overall, it is clearly seen that Norway had the highest participation rates for both genders over the period, while the opposite could be observed in the case of Spain and Italy by the end of the period.
Looking at the details, there was a significant increase in the percentage of both genders in Norway. The figure for females started at 90% in 1996 and reached a peak at 100% in 2000, but this number remained almost unchanged by 2003. There was a slight rise in the number of males between 90% in 1996 and 100% in 2002 but then decreased sharply to around 90% in the final year. The figures for UK remained steady at 65% and rose considerably to 85% in 2000 before staying constant until 2003. Regarding Spain, the proportion of females witnessed a gradual increase at around 75% during the given years. Male rates in Spain grew noticeably from about 50% to 55% within intial 4 years but after which this figure levelled off at around 55% by 2003. There were fluctuations in the figures for Italian females and males over the whole period between approximately 75% and 65% respectively.