The report “Equality in Figures 2026” indicates that female students continue to outperform male students academically across all levels of the education system. The document evaluates multiple indicators related to educational access, progression and participation in the teaching profession, highlighting notable progress in gender equality while also identifying persistent disparities in study choices and labour market entry.
According to the data, women achieve higher qualification rates throughout the education system. In Compulsory Secondary Education, the graduation rate reaches 86.3% for female students, compared with 78.1% for male students. A similar pattern appears in upper secondary education, where 62.2% of women obtain the qualification compared with 48% of men. The difference is also present in Higher Vocational Training, with 39.3% of women obtaining the qualification compared with 34.6% of men, as well as in adult education, where women represent 7.5% of graduates, compared with 5.8% among men.
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The report “Equality in Figures 2026” shows that female students achieve better academic results at all educational stages
Despite these stronger academic outcomes, gender gaps remain evident in the selection of educational pathways, particularly in vocational education and training. In Higher Vocational Training programmes, women are predominantly represented in fields such as Personal Image, Health and Social and Community Services, whereas men are more frequently enrolled in Information Technology and Communications and Electrical and Electronic Engineering programmes.
The analysis also highlights that the education sector remains a highly feminised professional field, particularly in non-university teaching levels. Female representation among teachers is especially high in early childhood education, where it reaches 97.8%, and in primary education, with 82.2%, figures that are comparable to those recorded in special education centres. In addition, women account for more than 75% of teachers under the age of 30, confirming a sustained upward trend in recent years.
Regarding vocational education and training, the report examines both educational continuation and labour market integration after graduation. In intermediate vocational programmes, a higher proportion of men continue studying one year after completing their qualification compared with women. However, in higher vocational programmes, the pattern reverses, with a greater proportion of women continuing their studies. These differences are partly linked to the strong concentration of female graduates in certain professional sectors, such as healthcare, where the rate of further study is lower than the overall average.