This study is a contribution to the debate on gender in education from the Eurydice Network, as requested by the Swedish Presidency of the Council of the European Union for the second half of 2009. The initial idea was to examine to what extent and in what ways gender inequality in educational attainment was an issue of concern in European countries. Although the situation has changed radically in the last decades regarding participation rates in education, gender differences persist in both attainment and choice of courses of study. The study therefore examines whether such disparities have led to policy initiatives such as proposals for changes in laws and other regulations relating to education, national surveys, projects or any other kind of official measures focusing on gender. The study also attempts to provide a mapping of the policies and strategies in place across Europe to tackle gender inequalities in education systems today. The study contains a review of the research literature on gender and education and summarises the main findings from international performance surveys on gender differences in education. It provides secondary analyses of PISA data mostly focusing on the variation of achievement by gender. The comparative overview of policies and measures in place in European countries with respect to gender equality in education forms the main part of the report. The study discusses legislative and policy frameworks for gender equality in education, distinguishing the main gender equality concerns. Specific examples are given to illustrate the extent to which European countries have been implementing concrete policy measures that target gender inequalities in education.