🔍💡 Gender equality: the gaps are not limited to academic results; they also encompass self-confidence, perceived safety, guidance, and access to stable employment.
📊⚠️ A useful tool for educational, social, and prevention teams who want to target their actions with precise data, from primary school to higher education.
📌 This document is useful for professionals in education, prevention, school health, social work, and medico-social fields who are involved in guidance, gender equality, school climate, or youth integration.
It allows for the objectification of concrete gaps, by age and educational stage, in order to adjust prevention actions, guidance support, and the securing of pathways.
It is particularly useful for field teams who need to argue a local diagnosis or build a collective action based on reliable data.
Source: 📒 Girls and boys on the path to equality, from school to higher education
📜🔗LINK
Number of pages: 31
Analytical summary
Context and issues
The document shows that the gaps between girls and boys are established early and shift according to the observed dimensions: academic achievements, sense of security, confidence in success, guidance choices, and professional integration.
Girls generally achieve better results in French, pass exams more often, and pursue longer studies more frequently, but they remain less present in several scientific and technical fields.
The document also highlights specific vulnerabilities: higher stress, lower feelings of safety in certain school environments, more frequent exposure to sexist and sexual harassment, and less confidence in their performance, particularly in mathematics.
Operational contributions
The brochure provides a foundation of data that can be directly mobilised to document actions on equality, guidance, the school climate, and the prevention of sexist violence.
It allows for the identification of key moments when gaps widen: the transition from Year 1 to Year 2 in mathematics, leaving Year 9, choosing A-level subjects, entering higher education, and access to the library after training.
For field actors, the main interest is to connect indicators that are often treated separately — academic success, sense of efficacy, safety, guidance, and employment — in a single reading of gender inequalities.
Key points of the document
Girls start with an advantage in French and mathematics in Year 1, but the gap reverses in mathematics as early as Year 2.In Year 1, they have a better mastery of French and mathematics; in Year 2, they maintain the advantage in French but fall behind boys in mathematics. This shows that the gaps are neither linear nor natural, and that they are constructed very early.Pages 4-5.
In secondary school and college, girls generally perform better while reporting less confidence.They achieve better results in French, perform better in the DNB, and are more often admitted to the baccalaureate with honours, but the highest achievers report feeling less confident about their success, especially in mathematics.Pages 8, 14-17.
The choices of orientation remain strongly gendered.After the third year, girls are more likely to pursue general and technological pathways, while boys are more present in vocational and apprenticeship routes; in the final year, the combinations of specialisations chosen by girls are less oriented towards certain scientific or industrial fields, except in areas related to health.Pages 10-11, 18-19.
The school climate and victimisation reveal distinct gender experiences.Girls report more instances of exclusion, sexist or sexual harassment, a lower sense of safety in school transport and around the college, as well as a higher level of stress in high school; boys are more involved in fights and are punished more often.Pages 12-13.
Women are more qualified upon completing their training, but access to stable employment remains less favourable in several segments.They are more numerous than men in achieving a master's level or higher, less often NEET, and more often in salaried employment after certain higher education courses; however, after vocational training and in some higher education pathways, they are less likely to hold a permanent position.Pages 20-25.
Action points for local stakeholders
Work early on the representations around skills in mathematics and sciences.The data from CP, CE1, sixth form and second year justifies preventive actions well in advance, with attention to the differentiated expectations of adults and the self-censorship of girls.Pages 4-9.
Systematically integrate a 'school climate + sexist violence' approach into school diagnostics.Indicators on perceived safety, exclusions and sexist behaviours support the establishment of local surveys, clear reporting protocols and targeted awareness-raising actions.Pages 12-13.
Strengthen support for guidance at moments of transition.The transition from third year, the choice of specialities and entry into higher education are stages to be secured with interviews, workshops for deconstructing stereotypes and exposure to diverse role models.Pages 10-11, 18-19.
Develop actions on the sense of personal efficacy, especially among the highest performing girls.The document shows a gap between objective results and reported confidence; this advocates for positive feedback mechanisms, tutoring, mentoring and verbalising successes.Pages 14-15.
Monitor integration with a cross-analysis of qualification/gender/type of employment.For local missions, CFA, vocational high schools or integration services, the pages on employment and permanent contracts show that a good level of qualification does not alone protect against disparities in professional stability.Pages 23-25.
Additional references
🔍➕ For more information, see the articles referenced by "Health Practices" on the theme of inequalities ➡️🔗https://pratiquesensante.odoo.com/2-1-inegalies-sociales-territoriales
Ministry of National Education / DEPP,Europe of Education in Figures 2024.This publication extends the European comparisons used in the brochure and helps to situate France within a broader international framework. Verified URL: https://www.education.gouv.fr/EuropeEducation2024
Cross-sectional analysis — values of Health Practices
Literacy:The document mainly offers simple and readable graphic indicators, but few differentiated educational tools according to levels of understanding.
Empowerment:The beneficiaries are not involved in the design of the document; their perspective mainly appears through declarative questionnaires on the school climate and trust.
Participation:Co-construction is not described; the approach is statistical and top-down.
Community Health:The collective dimension is indirectly present through the school climate, safety, and educational environments.
Ethics:The document raises issues of gender disparities and mentions sexist and sexual violations, but addresses social or cultural biases of interpretation only minimally.
Human Rights:Overall, it supports a reading in terms of equity of access, safety, and equal opportunities in educational pathways.
Intersectorality:The data call for cooperation between education, guidance, integration, prevention, and sometimes school health, even if these partnerships are not formalised.
Partnership:The document mobilises several public data producers, but does not propose an operational model for local partnership.
Combating discrimination:Discrimination and sexist violence are explicitly documented, which supports non-judgmental, vigilant, and targeted prevention approaches.
Reliability of the resource
Scientific relevance
The resource is statistically robust: it is produced by the DEPP, relies on administrative information systems, national surveys, and international comparisons, particularly from Eurostat, the OECD, and the IEA.
The data is recent, often from 2024 or 2025 depending on the indicators, and the fields/sources are specified throughout the pages.
A limitation to note: this is a synthetic brochure, rich in findings but underdeveloped on causalities, intersecting social determinants, or modes of action.
Operational relevance
The resource is very usable for raising awareness, objectifying a diagnosis, or supporting team training.
It is less directly prescriptive than a methodological guide, as it mainly provides figures and trends, without a ready-to-use intervention protocol.
MCQ — Part 1
Question 1:What does the document show about girls' results in mathematics at the beginning of their schooling?(source: p. 4-5)
a) They are always above boys from CP to sixth grade
b) They are above in CP but below from CE1 onwards
c) They are always at the same level as boys
d) They are below from primary school onwards
Question 2 :After Year 9, what is the most common pathway for girls?(source : p. 10)
a) Apprenticeship
b) Leaving the education system
c) General and technological Year 10
d) Vocational Certificate through school
Question 3 :What does the document say about the sense of security of female students?(source : p. 13)
a) They feel less safe than boys on school transport and around the school
b) They feel less safe only within the school
c) They feel safer than boys everywhere
d) They feel as safe as boys in all spaces
Question 4 :Which statement corresponds to the integration one year after vocational training?(source : p. 23-24)
a) Women are still more often in permanent contracts than men
b) Women are still more often in paid employment than men
c) Employment and permanent contract gaps disappear after the vocational diploma
d) Women are generally less often in paid employment and less often in permanent contracts
Question 5 :What paradox is highlighted regarding the most successful girls?(source : p. 14-15)
a) They perform worse than boys but feel more confident
b) They are more confident in mathematics than boys
c) They are less confident while considering more ambitious pathways
d) They are more likely to refuse to continue their studies
MCQ — Part 2: commented correction
Question 1:✅ Correct answer:They are above in Year 1 and then below from Year 2 onwards.
📝 Explanation: The document shows better mastery by girls in Year 1 in French and mathematics, then a reversal in mathematics in Year 2. This indicates a very early tipping point in learning. — Source: p. 4-5.
Question 2:✅ Correct answer:General and technological second year.
📝 Explanation: At the start of the 2024 school year, 67% of girls in Year 9 continue to a general and technological second year, compared to 55% of boys. Boys are more often directed towards vocational training and apprenticeships. — Source: p. 10.
Question 3:✅ Correct answer:They feel less safe than boys on school transport and around the college.
📝 Explanation: The document specifies that the gap is small within the college itself, but more pronounced in transport and surrounding areas. This element is important for broader school climate diagnostics that include peripheral spaces. — Source: p. 13.
Question 4:✅ Correct answer:Women are generally less often in paid employment and less often in permanent contracts.
📝 Explanation: After vocational training, women are on average less often in paid employment than men one year after leaving, and when they are employed, they are less often in permanent contracts. The document mentions a few exceptions, but the general trend remains unfavourable. — Source: p. 23-24.
Question 5:✅ Correct answer:They are less confident while considering more ambitious pathways..
📝 Explanation: The highest performing girls report less often than boys that they feel successful or ready for the coming year, particularly in mathematics. However, they more often consider certain ambitious further study options. — Source: p. 14-15.
FAQ
What is this brochure actually for a field team?
It helps to support a diagnosis of gender inequalities with recent data covering achievements, guidance, school climate, and integration.Pages 3-4.
When do we observe marked differences in mathematics?
The document shows an advantage for girls in Year 1, then a relative drop from Year 2, continuing until high school.Pages 4-9.
Do girls perform better at school?
Overall yes for several exams and in French, but this better performance does not mechanically translate into higher confidence or a balanced presence in all streams.Pages 8, 14-19.
Does the document address sexist violence?
Yes, it documents reported sexist and sexual assaults, as well as perceived safety gaps and victimisation by gender.Pages 12-13.
What does it say about post-secondary orientation?
Girls tend to orient more towards general and technological pathways; boys towards vocational and apprenticeship routes.Page 10.
Do the gaps disappear in higher education?
No. Study choices remain gendered, particularly to the detriment of women's presence in certain scientific and technical fields.Pages 18-22.
Are women better integrated professionally after their studies?
The answer depends on the type of qualification. They are often more qualified and sometimes more frequently in salaried employment after higher education, but less often in permanent contracts in several cases.Pages 20-25.
Rewriting in Easy-to-Read Language
Simple summary
What the document shows
The document compares the paths of girls and boys.
It discusses school, orientation, and employment.
Girls often perform better in French and in exams.
But they have less confidence in themselves, especially in mathematics.
They also report experiencing sexist incidents more often.
What this brings
This document helps professionals see where to take action.
It shows the moments when gaps appear.
It helps prepare actions on orientation.
It also helps to work on the school climate.
It is used to support a diagnosis with figures.
Key points in Easy-to-Read Language
In Year 1, girls perform better in French and mathematics.
In Year 2, girls remain ahead in French.
In Year 2, boys take the lead in mathematics.
Girls perform better in the diploma and the baccalaureate.
Girls often have less confidence in their success.
Girls more often pursue general education.
Boys more often pursue vocational education.
Girls more often report experiencing sexist incidents.
Women are more qualified at the end of their studies.
But they less often have stable employment.