The eighth edition of the report ‘Equality in Figures 2026’ highlights that female students continue to achieve higher academic performance than male students throughout the different stages of the education system. The document examines a range of indicators related to education and gender equality and concludes that, although significant progress has been made in recent years, gender gaps remain in study choices and in the transition to the labour market.

According to the data presented, the rate of completion of compulsory secondary education reaches 86.3% among female students, compared with 78.1% among male students. This pattern is also evident at other educational levels. In upper secondary education, 62.2% of women obtain the qualification, compared with 48% of men. For the Higher Technician qualification, the percentage stands at 39.3% for women and 34.6% for men, while in adult education, the figures are 7.5% for women and 5.8% for men.

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The report ‘Equality in Figures 2026’ indicates that female students achieve better academic results at all educational stages

Despite the higher academic attainment of female students, the report identifies persistent gender differences in the choice of vocational training pathways. Women are mainly concentrated in certain professional fields, particularly Personal Image (92.6%), Health Care (76.9%) and Socio-Cultural and Community Services (86.3%). In contrast, men are the majority in fields such as Information Technology and Communications (84.3%) and Electricity and Electronics (93.2%).

The analysis also addresses gender distribution within the teaching profession. The education sector continues to show a strong female presence, especially in non-university education. Female teachers represent 97.8% of staff in early childhood education and 82.2% in primary education, while in specialised education centres the proportion reaches 82.1%.

Among teachers under the age of 30, women account for 75.9%, confirming the continuation of this trend among younger generations entering the profession. Leadership positions in public non-university schools have also experienced a steady increase in female representation during the last decade, with 68% of school management roles currently held by women.

The report further examines educational progression and labour market entry following vocational training studies. In Intermediate Vocational Training, a higher proportion of men continue studying one year after graduation, with 56.3% compared to 43.2% of women. However, in Higher Vocational Training, women show greater continuation in education, with 32.5% compared to 26.5% of men.

In the case of intermediate vocational studies, this difference may be related to the large number of women graduating in the Health Care professional field, which represents 43% of female graduates and where only 28% continue with further studies, a figure below the overall average across vocational training sectors.