Overrepresentation of female teachers in secondary education and gender achievement gaps in PISA 2022

Abstract

This study examines the association between the gender composition of the teaching profession and gender achievement gaps across countries. It explores to what extent girls outperform boys in countries with a higher percentage of female teachers in secondary education. Using PISA 2022 data on 15-year-olds’ performance in reading, mathematics, and science, combined with labor force statistics, the analysis reveals a pattern in which gender achievement gaps covary with the degree of overrepresentation of female teachers relative to the proportion of women in the labor force. In countries where this overrepresentation is more pronounced, girls tend to show greater academic advantages over boys. This pattern appears to reflect broader societal dynamics not captured by studies focusing on classroom environments.