Estonia rules out further action on higher education gender gap
Thursday 22nd October 2026 on 12:01 in
Estonia
Estonia will not take further steps to address the gender imbalance in higher education, despite women making up most students, ERR reports. Education Minister Kristina Kallas said raising the compulsory school age was a good start, but researcher Kadri Täht said it would not be enough.
More than 47,000 people studied in Estonian higher education last academic year. Men accounted for 40 percent, or just over 19,000 students.
Kallas and Täht said the imbalance is not necessarily a problem over a short period. It becomes a concern, Täht said, when education choices later limit people’s opportunities. Men may not enter the occupations or fields of study they want, she said, adding that this can deepen gender segregation in the labour market.
Traditional manufacturing jobs, where men often worked and where engineering degrees were required, have declined, Kallas said. Automation has reduced those jobs, and artificial intelligence is expected to reduce them further, she said.
The gap is also visible in health and welfare studies, which include training for healthcare and social work. Last academic year, 5,553 women and 1,246 men enrolled in these fields. Men made up just over 18 percent of students.
Equality Commissioner Christian Veske also described the imbalance as a problem. He said it could leave society without needed skills during a crisis, because people’s educational backgrounds are concentrated in different fields. Veske referred to Ukraine’s experience.
Kallas and Täht said the pattern starts before higher education. Täht said the education system may favour girls from primary school onwards, including through its expectations around study habits and learning styles.
Boys often choose vocational education after basic school, Täht said. Men made up 54 percent of vocational students last academic year and have accounted for at least half of students in the sector in each of the past eight years.
Täht said this did not mean that basic and secondary education were designed for girls. Rather, girls tend to have stronger study skills and higher motivation, which may also be shaped by social expectations.