Men and women at the start of their career - Women have begun to benefit from their academic success

For the last 25 years in Metropolitan France, unemployment rates among women and men at the start of their working life have got closer. Young women now even have the slight edge over men in terms of unemployment due to their higher level of education. However, at the same qualification level, unemployment rates for young women often remain higher and their wages are lower than men. The training specialities they choose do not always correspond to labour market needs. In 2008, at equivalent qualification and speciality, unemployment rates for both men and women at the start of their career were very similar, with the economic crisis affecting young men more.