In 2024, women in Lithuania made up 63%, and men – 37% of all higher education graduates. In the European Union, the gap was smaller – 58% and 42%, respectively.
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9 out of 10 education graduates are women
In health and care study fields, female graduates accounted for 17.3% of all graduates, while male graduates were only 3.6%.
An even bigger difference is seen in education studies: women who completed them made up 6.4%, men – only 0.8%.
There are significantly more men in engineering, manufacturing, and construction studies – 9.6% of all graduates were men and 3.2% women. In the field of information and communication technologies (ICT), the difference is also noticeable: male graduates were 4.1%, female – 1.1%.
“We see an unchanging trend – not only does the education gap between men and women persist, but also the segregation of specialties. It is no secret that societal beliefs about which professions are more suitable for women or men can influence study choices,” says Mintautė Jurkutė, an expert at the Equal Opportunities Ombudsperson’s Office.
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Study choices later reflect in the labor market
The situation is similar across the European Union: women make up the majority of higher education graduates, but they much less often choose ICT, engineering, manufacturing, and construction studies.
According to the expert, the concentration of women and men in different professional fields can affect not only career opportunities but also wage gaps and representation in decision-making positions.
According to M. Jurkutė, there is also a gender-related difference in the valuation of professional sectors.
“The goal should not be to force girls to choose technology or boys – health and education fields. We need to ask why some professions are considered more valuable than others. When female-dominated fields are systematically valued and paid less, and male-dominated ones – better, it not only shapes young people’s choices but also reinforces stereotypes themselves. To break this cycle, we need to fight gender stereotypes, but I also see it as important to change how society values different work,” emphasizes M. Jurkutė.
