Gender Gaps in Education: The Long View
- R Research Project/Report/Study
I Inactive
Key Information
Many countries remain far from achieving gender equality in the classroom. Using data from 126 countries between 1960 and 2010, we document four facts. First, women are more educated today than fifty years ago in every country in the world. Second, they remain less educated than men in the vast majority of countries. Third, in many countries with low levels of education for both men and women in 1960, gender gaps widened as more boys went to school, then narrowed as girls enrolled; thus, gender gaps got worse before they got better. Fourth, gender gaps rarely persist in countries where boys are attaining high levels of education. Most countries with large, current gender gaps have low levels of male educational attainment. Many also perform poorly on other measures of development such as life expectancy and GDP per capita. Improving girls’ education is an important goal in its own right, but closing gender gaps in education will not be sufficient to close critical gaps in adult life outcomes.
Lead Implementing Organization(s)
Location(s)
Global
Government Affiliation
Non-governmental programYears
None - 2020
Partner(s)
Ministry Affiliation
UnknownFunder(s)
Not applicable or unknown
COVID-19 Response
UnknownGeographic Scope
Global / regionalMeets gender-transformative education criteria from the TES
UnknownAreas of Work Back to Top
Education areas
Attainment
- Post-secondary
- Primary completion
- Primary enrollment
- Primary to secondary transition
- Secondary completion
Cross-cutting areas
Not applicable or unknown
Program participants
Other populations reached
- Boys (both in school and out of school)
Participants include
Not applicable or unknown
Program Approaches Back to Top
Policy/legal environment
- Developing/promoting new laws/policies
Reducing economic barriers
- Reducing/eliminating school fees
Women's empowerment programs
- Advocacy/action
Program Goals Back to Top
Education goals
Not applicable or unknown
Cross-cutting goals
Not applicable or unknown