Blog by Evelyne Para, Soroptimist International Representative at UNESCO, Paris.
Achieving gender equality in and through education is a major ambition of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. This is why gender equality has been one of UNESCO’s two global priorities for several years.
How can gender equality be integrated into the process of climbing the leadership women in education? How can transformative education programs be developed? How can gender outcomes be monitored and evaluated within these programs?
These are some of the questions addressed by participants in several conferences and roundtables held at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris at the end of March, as part of the launch of the Global Education Monitoring Report 2026, entitled “Goal 2030: Access and Equity.”
I had the opportunity to participate in these discussions, and I have included a brief summary of the key ideas shared.
Education and Gender Equality
Education represents considerable potential for challenging and transforming unbalanced social relationships, norms, and practices, particularly those related to gender, and for establishing gender equality as a fundamental value and a human right. Impressive progress has been made in reducing gender inequalities in access to education, but disparities persist. Among students who will never attend school, girls outnumber boys, and only 24% of countries have achieved gender parity in upper secondary education.
Gender equality refers to equality between women and men and between girls and boys in terms of rights, responsibilities, and opportunities. Equality does not mean that women and men are identical, but rather that their rights, responsibilities, and opportunities do not depend on whether they are born female or male. Gender equality means taking into account the interests, needs, and priorities of women on an equal footing with those of men, and recognizing the diversity of different groups of women and men.
Gender equality is not just about women; it concerns everyone: girls, boys, women, and men. Equality between women and men is both a human right and a prerequisite for human-centred sustainable development, as well as an indicator of such development.
Leadership in Education
In many countries, most teachers are women, but education leaders (heads of primary, secondary, and higher education institutions, university positions in engineering and technology, ministers of education and higher education) are predominantly men. The obstacles to gender equality in education leadership positions can and must be overcome. During our work at UNESCO in March 2026, several testimonies addressed the barriers that still hinder women’s efforts to climb the leadership ladder in education. Women teach, they support, they inspire, but rarely they lead.
Although the teaching profession has become more feminized, significant gender disparities persist in school management, education administration, and political leadership positions—a situation illustrated in detail by examples from around the world. The gender disparity in educational leadership is the result of deeply ingrained stereotypes and prejudices – conscious or unconscious – on the one hand, and institutional processes or professional development mechanisms that do not offer sufficient support on the other.
However, all the testimonies gathered and several research studies show that women leaders differ from men in their approach to educational leadership. For example, they tend to emphasize collaboration, build community connections, combat all forms of discrimination, participate in local cultural and economic development, and maintain a focus on learning.
When women lead schools, they are more likely to adopt inclusive, participatory, and collaborative practices. The findings of this research therefore encourage political leaders to adopt measures to raise awareness, improve mechanisms, and build capacity to combat discrimination and prejudice, thereby encouraging women who wish to pursue such careers.
Some Recommendations
Stereotypes stifle women’s ambitions and limit their opportunities. Leadership is often seen as a masculine characteristic, and women do not always receive the necessary support to assume leadership roles. Among the testimonies and roundtables of the Representatives from approximately 100 countries and from ONGs, regarding the main obstacles to women’s leadership, many cited cultural stereotypes, institutional biases, and logistical barriers, as well as a lack of mentorship, networking opportunities, and training and professional development opportunities.
All participants recognized that women’s leadership in education is not merely symbolic; it is a transformative force capable of energizing efforts to achieve gender equality and unlocking the transformative potential of education. In some cases, particularly in low-income countries, it appears that when women lead schools, they bring a fresh perspective to creating truly equitable and high-performing schools for every student, girl or boy. Often, female leaders adopt leadership approaches that prioritize inclusion, collaboration, and the professional development of their teams.
By improving the pathways that lead women from teaching to administrative and political positions, country leaders strengthen the capacity of education systems to deliver on their promise of equality and quality for all. In this context, strengthening the position of women leaders is not only a matter of justice, but a strategic imperative for the transformation of education.
Three main sets of Recommendations concerning women’s leadership in education were cited, relating to the “ladder” to be climbed to reach higher leadership positions:
– Find where the ladder is broken: Track women’s progression to leadership positions in education;
– Repair the broken ladder: Address systemic flaws;
– Help them climb the ladder: Guide women in their ascent to leadership positions.
In Conclusion,
Gender equality and education are not just human rights; they are powerful tools for transformation, capable of building a just, prosperous, inclusive, and safe world for all. The goal is to give girls and boys, women and men, the same rights and opportunities for empowerment, as well as the power and resources to shape their lives and futures. So that together we can make gender equality in and through education a reality.
