Irish women are more likely to finish their education and less likely to be unemployed than Irish men, according to figures from the EU's statistical office, Eurostat.
But Irish women are below the EU average for representation at management levels in jobs and are still earning less than their male colleagues.
The report, brought out ahead of International Women's Day tomorrow, also shows Irish women on average have their first child at 28 years, just below the EU average.
An average of 80 per cent of women in the EU finished secondary school in 2005, compared with 74.6 per cent of men. In Ireland 88.8 per cent of women and 83.4 per cent of men finished secondary school in 2005.
For third-level education, women represented an EU average of 54.6 per cent of those completing studies in 2003. Women at 65.6 per cent dominated the arts and humanities courses compared with 37.3 per cent finishing science, maths and computing courses.
In Ireland, women represented 55.7 per cent of those finishing third-level courses in 2003 with 66.2 per cent completing arts and humanities courses and 42.5 per cent completing science, maths and computing courses.
In the area of jobs, 3.8 per cent of Irish women were unemployed in January 2006 - the lowest unemployment rate for women in the EU - compared with 4.7 per cent of men. Ireland, Sweden and the UK were the only EU countries where women's unemployment rates were lower than that of men. The average EU unemployment rate was 9.6 per cent for women and 7.6 per cent for men.
There was a large gap between the percentage of women in employment in Ireland and throughout the EU. Some 58 per cent of women of working age were employed in Ireland in 2005, compared to 76.2 per cent of men. The EU average was 56.3 per cent for women and 71.2 per cent for men. Only Estonia, France and Sweden came close to narrowing the gap in employment rates.
The EU average for women's share of management posts was 32.1 per cent, with Irish women represented in only 30.2 per cent of these jobs.
Women earned, on average, 15 per cent less than men across the EU in 2004. In Ireland women were paid 11 per cent less than men in the same year. Some 24.4 per cent of Irish working women were in part-time jobs, as opposed to 5 per cent of working men. The EU average for part-time work was 32.6 per cent of women and 7.3 per cent of men.
Ireland shared the EU average for women's life expectancy at 81.2 years, with Irish men at 76.4 years and the EU average 75.1 years. Some 56.5 per cent of Irish people over the age of 65 were women.
Irish fertility rates at 1.99 were well above the EU average in 2004 at 1.5. The EU average for women's age when they have their first baby was 28 years in 2004 and 27 years in 1994. In 2004 the average age for Irish women to give birth for the first time was 28 years, up from 27 years in 1994.
The report comes days after the European Commission announced a "roadmap" to tackle gender inequalities. The commission announced €50 million would go towards the setting up of a gender institute which would monitor and gather information about gender inequality.
3.8% of Irish women were unemployed in January 2006, compared with 4.7% of Irish men
24.4% of working Irish women were in part-time jobs, compared with 5% of Irish men.
58% of Irish women of working age were employed in 2005, compared with 76.2% of Irish men
11% Irish women earned on average 11% less than men in 2004.
30.2% of Irish managers in 2005 were women.
55.7% per cent of those who completed third-level course in Ireland in 2003 were women.
88.8% of Irish women finished secondary education in 2005, as opposed to 83.4% of Irish men