Measuring Gender Disparity in Educational Attainment Worldwide, 1950–2015: Evidence Toward Achieving Sustainable Development Goals 4 and 5

ABSTRACT To help achieve the Sustainable Development Goals related to inclusive and equitable quality education and gender equality, it is essential to understand the extent and patterns of gender disparities in education. This study measures such disparities using the between‐gender education Gini derived from a decomposition of education Gini by gender, and examines its relationship with mean years of education. The decomposition analysis reveals that all components of the education Gini show a declining trend; however, the contribution of the within‐gender component remains relatively stable, with the remainder shared between the between‐gender and residual components. Dynamic panel data analysis reveals a U‐shaped relationship between the between‐gender education Gini and mean years of education. These findings suggest that, particularly in developing countries, promoting universal and equitable educational expansion is essential for reducing gender disparities in education, as the expansion of education at lower levels of education can effectively narrow such disparities.