Work

Gender Roles and Socioeconomic Disparities in Early School Leaving: Evidence From EU-SILC Microdata

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Early school leaving presents significant disparities, closely tied to observable characteristics such as gender and socioeconomic status (SES). This study examines the complex interplay between these factors using EU-SILC microdata from 28 EU countries, covering the period from 2011 to 2019. Through logistic regression analyses, we uncover a non-linear relationship between gender and SES, revealing that the gender gap in early school leaving diminishes as SES increases. Notably, our findings indicate that males from lower socioeconomic backgrounds are disproportionately at risk of dropping out of school. We show that this phenomenon can be partly explained by deeply rooted gender norms, which are further shaped by national attitudes towards gender roles.

Source: Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)

DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.20922598

Authors: De Witte, Kristof, Pastor, José Manuel, Soler, Ángel, Vicente, Iván

Institutions: Maastricht University, KU Leuven, Universitat de València, Instituto Valenciano de Investigaciones Económicas

Topic: Intergenerational and Educational Inequality Studies

Subfield: Sociology and Political Science

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDGs: Gender equality, Reduced inequalities, Quality education

Open Access status: green

Funder: European Commission

Award: BUILDING RESILIENT INDIVIDUALS THROUGH EFFECTIVE GRADUAL EDUCATIONAL TRANSITIONS