Brazilian women better educated than men

The latest census by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), published Wednesday, finds that in 2010, 12.5 percent of women aged 25 or above had at least a college degree, compared to 11.5 percent of men, reported Xinhua.

Among the employed, 19.2 percent of women were college educated, compared to 11.5 percent among men.

The proportion of employment among Brazilian women rose from 35.4 percent in 2000 to 43.9 percent in 2010, a more significant increase than among men, which notched up only by 2 percentage points from 61.1 percent to 63.3 percent.

The IBGE stressed that education level was directly related to per capita monthly household income, at all ages.

Men also tend to drop out of school more than women. The proportion of dropouts among youngsters aged 18 to 24 was 41.1 percent among men and 31.9 percent among women, the figures show.

Despite recent advances, the level of education in Brazil remains remarkably low, with almost half of the adult population not having finished middle school.