Evening Up the Playing Field

Girls consistently outperform boys in school. So why do women remain disadvantaged in the labor market?

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Girls and women, across the globe, have higher test scores than men, according to the OECD’s 2024 global guide to the state of education.

They are also 28% less likely to repeat a school grade and more likely to successfully complete their school programs.

Yet, despite high educational qualifications, young women in North America and South America, Europe and Asia-Pacific are less likely to be employed.

In OECD countries, the employment rate of women aged 25-34 without an upper secondary qualification is 25% lower than their male counterparts.

The report also found that young women earn less than young men.

“Average earnings are 15% lower for women lacking an upper secondary qualification and 17% lower for those with a tertiary qualification.”

OECD Secretary-General Mathias Cormann has called for measures that will lay the foundations for a more level playing field.

“These findings provide the evidence needed for global social and economic progress,” he said.

The full report can be downloaded from the OECD website.

D.L. Lee is the author of SISTERLY LOVE, a novel about two sisters who grow apart.

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