UK universities have hit a milestone this year with 94,000 more women than men applying to study at university.
As of June 30, 593,720 people had applied to study at a tertiary level in the UK, with 344,000 women submitting applications.
Since the Browne Review in 2010—which saw fees rise from £3000 per year to £9000—women have been outnumbering men not only in the already female-dominated humanities, but in traditionally male-dominated subjects, such as law and medicine.
A report released by the Higher Education Policy Institute earlier this year described the growing imbalance as “a national scandal,” and suggested bringing in male role models to assist with recruitment, even advising institutes to host ‘Take Our Sons To University’ days to increase enrollments.
This growing trend is also reflected in Victoria University’s gender breakdown, with 2015 seeing 2507 more women than men enrolled in study.
According to the Global Gender Gap Report 2015, New Zealand is ranked 10th and the UK 18th overall, with both achieving high ratings in educational attainment. Despite this both countries are still holding women back when it comes to political empowerment and economic participation.