Mapping Intersectionality in Adolescent Educational Inequality: Gendered and Geographic Disparities in Access to Sex Education in China

Educational institutions worldwide face challenges in equitably distributing resources during adolescence, a critical period for identity formation and social development. While centralized educational systems ostensibly promote standardization, less is known about how local implementation may reproduce social inequalities during this crucial stage. Through the lens of intersectionality, this study examines how gender and geographical location interact to shape adolescents' access to health education in centralized systems, using Chinese vocational high schools as an illustrative case. Drawing on data from 3,167 adolescents across regions representing different development levels, we demonstrate how educational institutions may inadvertently perpetuate social stratification through differential access to sex education, even within highly centralized systems. Our findings reveal complex interactions between geographical advantages and gender. Students in more economically developed regions and urban areas show significantly higher odds of receiving comprehensive health education, with particularly pronounced effects for girls in developed regions. Moreover, gender emerges as the primary determinant of exposure to specific developmental content. Girls consistently show higher access across topics, particularly regarding pregnancy and contraception, abortion, and sexual behavior, creating systematic disparities in access to essential knowledge during adolescence. These findings extend theories of educational inequality by revealing how intersecting dimensions of advantage and disadvantage manifest during crucial developmental transitions, even when formal policies mandate equal access, offering insights for policymakers seeking to promote equitable education for adolescents across diverse contexts.