§ Mr. Shoreasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many women students, and what proportion they formed of the total, were taking a full-time degree course at British universities and other British degree-awarding institutions in the most recent academic year for which figures are available; and what were the similar figures for 1971, 1961 and 1951.
§ Sir Keith JosephThe numbers and percentages of women taking a full-time or sandwich first degree course are as follows. Great Britain figures for the public sector are not readily available for every year required.
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1951–52 1961–62 1971–72 1982–83 Universities in Great Britain: numbers (thousands) 19.5 28.7 59.6 101.5 percentage of total: 23.4 per cent. 25.4 per cent. 31.3 per cent. 40.6 per cent. Public sector* England and Wales (England only in 1982–83): numbers (thousand) 0.2† 0.6 5.7 53.0
1951–52 1961–62 1971–72 1982–83 percentage of total 10.8† per cent. 11.7 per cent. 29.6 per cent. 42.9 per cent. * Excluding teacher training. The numbers on first degree courses of teacher training are not known for the three earlier years. In 1981–82, the percentage of women on such courses was 78.0. † Estimated.