Women turn around educational deficits

Younger women are more likely than men to have a higher education or university degree © Keystone / Gaetan Bally

Switzerland’s population is becoming increasingly educated. At the same time, younger women are more likely than men to have a higher education or university degree.

Among people aged 65 and over, 16.6% of women and 37.1% of men in Switzerland last year had a higher vocational education or university degree, the Federal Statistical Office saidExternal link on Monday. Among 25- to 34-year-olds the leading genders are reversed, with 54.4% of women and 50.25% of men having such a qualification.

The fact that women have made up for educational deficits is particularly clear in the case of university degrees, according to the statistical office. Last year 9.9% of women and 19.55% of men aged 65 and over had a university degree. Among 25- to 34-year-olds the rates were significantly higher at 41.5% for women and 34.95% for men.

However, this doesn’t translate into better salaries for women: Switzerland ranks among the worst European states when it comes to the gender income gap. Women in Switzerland earn 43.2% less than men and draw less pension due to higher rates of part-time work.