Women now far outnumber men studying at university. Lucy Hodges asks why the gender gap is widening

Until late last century, more men than women went to university. But since then, females have taken an increasing proportion of places, dominating subjects such as nursing, psychology, social work, education and design.

Latest figures show that women are 36 per cent more likely than men to apply for British degree courses and the gender gap has more than doubled since 2007, reaching a record level this year.

So wide is the gulf that the applications service Ucas is worried. Mary Curnock Cook, Ucas’ chief executive, points out that girls are doing better than boys at every level, primary, secondary and higher education. Poor, white boys are the most disadvantaged group. “But despite the clear evidence and the press coverage, there is a deafening policy silence on the issue,” she says.

All the Catholic universities approached by The Tablet – St Mary’s Twickenham, Liverpool Hope, Newman and Leeds Trinity – have more women than men, and have had an imbalance for a long time. As former teacher-training colleges, they are used to enrolling large numbers of women because they offer teacher training and liberal arts courses beloved of young females. Liverpool Hope, for example, has a 70:30 ratio of women to men.