Question reference: S5W-00306
- Asked by: Gillian Martin, MSP for Aberdeenshire East, Scottish National Party
- Date lodged: 31 May 2016
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Current status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 9 June 2016
Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many full-time college students are female; how this compares with 2007, and what action it is taking to help address any imbalance.
Answer
In 2014-15, 42,974 full-time college students were female, 54% of the total, and a similar proportion to 2006-07. Full details are in the following table.
| Year | 2006-07 | 2007-08 | 2008-09 | 2009-10 | 2010-11 | 2011-12 | 2012-13 | 2013-14 | 2014-15 |
| Male | 30,920 | 30,382 | 31,600 | 35,094 | 37,048 | 37,880 | 36,480 | 37,147 | 36,241 |
| Female | 37,064 | 37,167 | 39,068 | 41,603 | 42,494 | 42,968 | 41,807 | 42,709 | 42,974 |
| % Female | 55% | 55% | 55% | 54% | 53% | 53% | 53% | 53% | 54% |
Source: Infact Database, Scottish Funding Council
The Scottish Funding Council will publish a gender action plan in summer 2016, produced with colleges, which will address gender disparities in college education.