Topic 3 Differentiation of the teaching population per educational grade (primary, secondary, adult education, etc.)
Teachers’ gender per educational grade
On average 70% of teachers are women in all levels of education in 2019.
The greatest concentration of female teachers occurs in the earlier years of schooling, and the share shrinks at each successive level of education.
While women represent 97% of the teaching staff at pre-primary level and 83% at primary level, they make up 60% at upper secondary and only 44% at tertiary level, as academic staff.
Just 35.5% of secondary school teachers were male in 2019. In primary schools, the figure has stagnated over five years at 14.1%.
Female teachers are less likely to be promoted as principals than their male counterparts.
Teachers’ age per educational grade
Most of the teaching population in primary education is above the age of 40. Less of the 10% of the population in primary education are under the age of 30.
The United Kingdom seems to be an exemption to the rules being the European country with the youngest teachers in primary education.
In secondary schools, the average age of teachers varies around the world since in Singapore the average age is 36 years old and in Italy the average is significantly higher at 49-years-old.
As for adult education, in most countries it is very uncommon for someone to have completed their PhD before the age of 30 and taking under consideration the number of years between completing a PhD and becoming a senior professor, it is natural that the average age of a senior professor is around 50 to 55.