Monitoring SDG4: Education and gender equality
Gender gaps in enrolment and attendance have been declining over the past 20 years, with a gender gap of less than one percentage point remaining at all three levels of education. Sub-Saharan Africa is the region furthest from parity at the expense of girls, with no progress since 2011 at the lower secondary level and since 2014 in upper secondary.
Globally, at each education level, females enjoy an advantage of two percentage points among those completing on time, while there is near parity among learners completing later. But in sub-Saharan Africa, gender gaps increase when timely and ultimate completion rates are compared. For instance, boys’ advantage over girls in the lower secondary completion rate increases from just one percentage point in timely completion to eight percentage points in ultimate completion
Girls outperform boys in learning in general but are not among top performers in mathematics. Girls’ advantage over boys in reading in early primary grades increases by the end of primary and lower secondary education. Girls also outperform boys in science in secondary school in middle- and high-income countries. Boys perform better than girls in mathematics in early grades, but do not have an advantage later, on average. Yet boys are far more likely to be over-represented among the highest performers in mathematics. Girls perform better in mathematics in more gender-equal societies. When girls perform well in mathematics and science, they perform even better in reading. While this may be one reason girls are less likely to opt for scientific careers, it is important to unpack the stereotypes that play a critical role in affecting such choices.
