Gender equity is the process of being fair to women and men. To ensure fairness, strategies and measures must often be available to compensate for women's historical and social disadvantages that prevent women and men from otherwise operating on a level playing field. Equity leads to equality.

Gender disparities are highest at the tertiary level, as young men typically pursue college before the women in their cohort do. Gender disparities in expenditures are greater than those in enrollments, because college education is more expensive than elementary or secondary schooling.

Education is a human right and an essential tool for achieving the goals of equality, development and peace. Non-discriminatory education benefits both girls and boys and thus ultimately contributes to more equal relationships between women and men.

To date, more than two-thirds of all countries have reached gender parity in primary school enrollment. In many countries, secondary enrollments rates for females surpass those of their male peers. At the tertiary level, female enrollment rates exceed male rates by more than 5 percentage points in over 100 countries.