Gender Disparity in Education Leadership is a global issue

The report, Women lead for learning, produced by UNESCO's Global Education Monitoring Report, offers global data showing gender disparity in education leadership. While 81% of care centre and preschool leaders were women in selected OECD countries, women made up only 16% of primary school principals in francophone Africa.

In upper-middle- and high-income countries, there is a 20-point gender gap in secondary school leadership. In higher education globally, only 30% of leaders are women. Data from sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia and from countries such as Australia, Chile, Qatar and the United States also show that women often have to prove themselves as teachers for longer than men before becoming leaders.

The disparity is found in government as well. A new global database of education and higher education ministers shows that only 27% were women in 2010–2023, and that female ministers had longer tenures than male ministers on average by about 4 months.

Women principals tend to promote a more collaborative culture

In some contexts, female leadership is associated with stronger community engagement, more emphasis on inclusive policies addressing barriers for girls (such as gender-based violence and menstrual health), and promoting collaborative school cultures. Data across 44 upper-middle- and high-income countries shows that female principals dedicate more time than their male peers to the curriculum, teaching, and interactions with parents and students.

In some cases, when women lead schools, learning outcomes also improve. Schools led by women have been found to improve learning outcomes by the equivalent of an additional year of schooling in some francophone African countries, and by up to 6 months in some South-eastern Asian countries.

A link is also noted between female political representation and increased investment in education. Across 19 high-income countries, a one-point increase in female representation in lower houses of parliament is associated with a 0.04 point increase in education expenditure as a percentage of GDP.

Women make up less than a third of higher education leaders globally

Finally, women are even more under-represented in senior leadership positions in tertiary education than in primary or secondary, a striking fact given that there are more women than men enrolled at this level of education.  They make up less than a third of leadership roles in research bodies and in higher education– the apex of learning institutions, a share that plummets to single digits in vice-president or dean positions in some Arab and Asian public universities.

These gaps are felt in high income through to low-income countries. This reflects similar gender gaps across all levels of education, and right up to ministerial positions as well. Why? And what can solve it? The 2025 GEM Gender Report investigates.

Should you be interested in early access to the report, or in arranging an interview with the authors, please don't hesitate to contact me here.