Gender issue in modern education: Theory and practice

So far, gender inequality in education has been considered in the context of inequality in women's access to technical specialties, the impact of education on the fertility rate and wages of women, the impact of religious, cultural, social-economic values on women's education level. However, this concept does little to explain the gender imbalance and low quality of human capital in an environment where women have the opportunity to be educated in any field of knowledge through a feminization in the European countries. The research methodology is based on the correlation analysis of indicators of gender equality in education in Germany, France, Poland, and Ukraine for 1991-2018. The purpose of the study is to identify the trends and dynamics of gender changes in education, the level of gender inequality and establish the causes and effects of gender asymmetry in some European countries. To evaluate gender equality in education, we used the Gender Parity Index. The results of correlation analysis prove the presence of a direct connection between the level of fertility and the Gender Parity Index in the field of primary and higher education, while in the field of secondary education reverse. Such tendencies are inherent in almost all countries of Europe. The analysis of indicators characterizing the level of education of women within the Eurozone countries shows the decisive role of the structure of the economy and the needs of the labor market in specialists with digital skills and mental abilities. The structure of the economy and the efficiency of various sectors ensure the reduction of gender inequality in education, contributing to overall economic growth and GDP per capita. Political institutions and national policies indirectly influence gender inequality in education by regulating the development of sectors of the economy with different levels of female employment. The proposed paradigm of gender inequality is based on the crucial role of skills, competencies, and abilities regardless of gender. The gender imbalance has been overcome in countries with a high level of women's competence. Competence is a new paradigm in overcoming gender inequality. (C) 2021 The Authors. Published by IASE.