Access to education is a fundamental human right, yet millions of girls and women continue to face barriers that prevent them from receiving the same educational opportunities as boys and men.
Around the world, around 139 million girls are out of school, compared to 133 million boys.
This article explores the causes and consequences of this inequality and discusses how we can achieve gender equality in education.
Key facts you need to know
- 139 million girls remain out of school worldwide.
- Girls are 2.5 times more likely than boys to be out of school in conflict-affected countries.
- Only 49% of countries have achieved gender parity in primary education.
- Sub-Saharan Africa faces the toughest challenges, with girls struggling to access education at every level.
What does gender inequality in school look like?
Girls missing from the classroom
The barriers girls face to even stepping foot in a classroom are rooted in gender discrimination, poverty, and harmful cultural practices.
Although some barriers, such as conflict and poverty, have a real impact on boys too, there is a huge gap between how many girls are in school around the world compared to boys, with girls being much more likely to be out of the classroom in these contexts. For example, girls are 2.5 times more likely than boys to be out of school in conflict-affected countries.
Other barriers impact girls exclusively. Families struggling for money will often prioritise boys' education. They might believe that investing in a son's education is more beneficial in the long term, especially in areas where girls might find it harder to actually find employment.
In Afghanistan, the crisis has intensified dramatically. 60% of girls are not in primary school compared to 46% of boys, and 74% of girls are not in lower-secondary school compared to 50% of boys.
Girls getting a lower quality education
Even when girls do attend school, the quality of education they receive can be worse than that of their male peers.
Deep-rooted biases in school curricula, teaching methods, and societal expectations about what subjects girls should study mean that their options are limited. Girls also miss out on learning opportunities when teachers don't adapt their approach to support both boys and girls equally.
Women make up only 35% of STEM graduates, a figure that hasn’t changed in ten years.
Other factors that make schools difficult environments for girls to be in also result in a lower quality of education – things like not meeting safety and hygiene requirements so that girls can't come into school when they’re on their period.
Causes of gender inequality in education
Socioeconomic factors
Poverty is one of the most important factors in determining whether girls can access and complete their education. Uniforms, books and transport are expensive, but there are hidden costs too - like the work girls often do at home that families rely on. If families are struggling to send their children to school, they are also likely to prioritise boys first.
Cultural norms and gender roles
Deep-rooted beliefs about what girls and boys "should" do shape their opportunities from a young age. In many communities, girls are expected to focus on household chores over homework. These attitudes can stop families investing in girls' education, especially once they finish primary school.
Early marriage and pregnancy
Child marriage is one of the biggest barriers stopping girls from learning. The scale is shocking: every year, 12 million girls are married before they turn 18 — one girl every two seconds. Early pregnancy and social isolation interrupts their schooling and many countries even have laws that mean pregnant girls cannot stay in school.
Safety and security concerns
Sadly, the threat of violence can also keep girls away from school. Worldwide an estimated 246 million children experience school-related violence every year. This includes sexual, physical, and psychological violence. Studies suggest that adolescent girls are particularly vulnerable to sexual violence, harassment and exploitation, including in school settings.
Lack of gender-segregated bathrooms and access to menstrual products
Without access to menstrual hygiene products as well as private, clean, secure toilets at school, girls struggle to attend comfortably and with dignity—particularly during their periods. Worldwide, only 2 out of 5 schools (39%) provide menstrual health education. Even worse, less than 1 in 3 schools (31%) globally have bins for menstrual waste in girls' toilets.
Consequences of gender inequality in education
When girls miss out on education, everyone pays the price.
Economic impact
Girls missing out on completing a full 12 years of education costs countries between $15 trillion and $30 trillion in lost lifetime productivity and earnings.
For individual girls, the difference is life-changing. One year of secondary education for a girl correlates with as high as a 25% increase in wages later in life.
Social and political impact
Education gives women a voice in their communities. Better-educated women are more likely to take part in local decision-making and civic life. Girls who receive an education are less likely to marry young and more likely to lead healthy, productive lives.
The ripple effects reach far beyond individual girls. When girls are educated, whole communities become stronger and more stable, creating opportunities for everyone.
Health and wellbeing
Education transforms health across generations. Women who've been to secondary school tend to have fewer children, marry later, and make better-informed choices about nutrition and healthcare. Their children are usually healthier, should they choose to become mothers.
How we can achieve gender equality in education
Real progress requires legal reforms that protect girls' rights, massive investment in education infrastructure and community engagement to shift harmful attitudes.
At Save the Children UK, we're working in some of the world's toughest contexts to break down the biggest barriers keeping girls out of school:
- Economic barriers: Cash grants for families to cover school costs
- Infrastructure: Building and renovating classrooms with accessible facilities
- Teacher quality: Training educators in inclusive, child-focused methods
- Social barriers: Behaviour change campaigns to promote girls' education and challenge stigma around disability
In the Democratic Republic of Congo, we worked with local partners to increase access to education for over 60,000 children - more than half of them girls. We improved school infrastructure (including building 116 toilet facilities), established catch-up classes, and created alternative education pathways for teenage mothers. We prioritised support for marginalised girls and children with disabilities, identifying 1,144 children for targeted assistance.
Through Partnership for Learning for All in Nigeria (PLANE), we helped address stigma and bring more inclusive education across three states in northwest Nigeria. Nearly 42,000 children (more than half of them girls) received intensive community-supported education to give them basic literacy and numeracy skills.
We’re also tackling root-causes, such as child marriage, working with communities, local partners and governments across the world to prevent child marriage and support girls to stay safe, healthy and in school. Since 2010, we've helped prevent over 68 million child marriages worldwide.
Our approach combines practical support—like building toilets, providing menstrual products, and recruiting female teachers—with advocacy to change laws and shift attitudes. And together, we're making a real difference.
Read more about our work to get all children access to education.
