Intersectional Approach and Inequality of Educational Opportunity

There is a consensus that educational disadvantages do not originate from a singular factor, but tend to result from multiple drivers (axes) of inequality. Such axes form intersections, which explain the extent of disadvantages that students may face. Intersectional approach, in other words, recognizes not only multiple forms of vulnerabilities, but also an interplay between those. An intersectional perspective allows the identification of several factors that simultaneously affect students’ ability to succeed in education: while socio-economic status plays a major role in inequality of educational opportunity, combined with race/ethnicity, gender and other factors (e.g., health condition, learning disability, place of residence, etc.), these multiple forms of vulnerability translate into different outcomes in education among various groups of students.

While intersectionality gained some recognition in empirical work, its systematic application remains relatively scarce. Similarly, it has not yet received much attention in current sociological discussions, especially focusing on educational inequalities. Meanwhile, there is a growing understanding that an intersectional lens is necessary for advancing equitable and inclusive education. To fill this gap, the session welcomes contributions that a) offer theoretical discussion on relevance of intersectional approach in the study of inequalities in education; b) offer innovative or advanced methodological applications, both for cross-sectional and longitudinal data while exploring educational inequalities; c) employ intersectional approach in their research, whether quantitative or qualitative, inquiring about aspects of educational (dis-)advantages.