Gender disparities in education are caused by a combination of cultural norms and stereotypes, economic factors, and lack of access to quality education.

Finland has the highest gender parity index in education, meaning that girls and boys have equal access to and participation in education.

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals set a target to achieve gender parity in primary and secondary education by 2030, eliminate gender disparities in education at all levels by 2030, and ensure that all girls and boys complete free, equitable, and quality primary and secondary education by 2030.

Girls face a number of challenges in accessing education, including cultural norms and stereotypes that discourage girls from pursuing education, economic factors such as poverty and the need for girls to contribute to household income, and lack of access to safe and affordable transportation to school.

A combination of strategies is needed to eliminate gender disparities in education, including challenging cultural norms and stereotypes that discourage girls from pursuing education, providing financial assistance to girls and their families to help them cover the costs of education, and improving access to safe and affordable transportation to school for girls.

Eliminating gender disparities in education has a number of benefits, including increased economic growth and productivity, reduced poverty and inequality, and improved health and well-being for women and girls.

Governments have a key role to play in eliminating gender disparities in education by enacting and enforcing laws that prohibit discrimination against girls in education, providing financial assistance to girls and their families to help them cover the costs of education, and investing in the construction and maintenance of schools and other educational facilities.

Communities have a vital role to play in eliminating gender disparities in education by challenging cultural norms and stereotypes that discourage girls from pursuing education, providing support and encouragement to girls who are pursuing education, and holding governments accountable for their commitments to gender equality in education.

Individuals have a responsibility to challenge gender stereotypes and biases in their own lives and communities, support organizations that are working to eliminate gender disparities in education, and educate themselves and others about the importance of gender equality in education.

Key indicators used to measure gender disparities in education include the gender parity index, net enrollment rate, and literacy rate.

The gender parity index is a measure of the ratio of girls to boys enrolled in school at all levels.

The net enrollment rate is the percentage of children of school age who are enrolled in school.

The literacy rate is the percentage of people who can read and write.

Boys also face a number of challenges in accessing education, including cultural norms and stereotypes that discourage boys from pursuing certain fields of study, economic factors such as poverty and the need for boys to contribute to household income, and lack of access to safe and affordable transportation to school.

A combination of strategies is needed to eliminate gender disparities in education for boys, including challenging cultural norms and stereotypes that discourage boys from pursuing certain fields of study, providing financial assistance to boys and their families to help them cover the costs of education, and improving access to safe and affordable transportation to school for boys.