The table provides data on the percentages of students enrolled in six different departments at an Australian university in 2011, categorized by gender, first language, and place of birth. Overall, Science and Physics exhibited nearly equal gender distribution, whereas the other subjects showed marked gender imbalances. Other notable features are the predominance of native English speakers across all departments and greater proportions of international registrations in Physics and Information Technology (IT).
Regarding gender distribution, Humanities and Education had predominantly female enrolments, representing 72% and 68%. In stark contrast, only 17% and 15% of IT and Engineering students were female, reflecting a significantly lower participation of women in these fields. Science and Physics displayed the smallest gender disparities, with 52% and 56% female students.
In terms of students’ first language, Humanities and Education had the highest percentages of native English speakers, at 88% and 84%, respectively. This probably suggests that proficiency in English is particularly important in these disciplines. Conversely, substantial proportions of students in the remaining departments were non-native English speakers, with percentages ranging from 38% in Physics to 49% in IT.
Focusing on place of birth, there was a strong preference among Australian students for Humanities, Education, and Science, where non-Australian students made up 20%, 23%, and 31% of the enrolments. On the other hand, Physics and IT had the highest percentages of international students, each at 56%, with Engineering’s being slightly lower, at 48%.