The intersectionality of gender and location in health education access in Chinese vocational high schools.

内容摘要

Through intersectionality theory, this study examines how gender and geographical location interact to shape adolescents' access to health education in centralized systems, using sex education in Chinese vocational high schools as an illustrative case. Drawing on data from 3167 adolescents across regions with varying development levels, we demonstrate how educational institutions reproduce gender hierarchies and geographical inequalities through differential access to sex education. Students in economically developed regions and urban areas show significantly higher odds of receiving sex education, with particularly pronounced effects for girls in developed regions. Gender emerges as the primary determinant of exposure to specific content, with girls consistently showing higher chances of being taught topics like pregnancy, contraception, and sexual behavior. These findings suggest two intersecting forms of disadvantage. Resource-wise, boys in less developed regions appear most likely to be excluded from sustained provision. Norm-wise, girls may be more harmed by how sex education is framed through gendered expectations that treat sexual and reproductive health as primarily their responsibility rather than a shared concern. Together, these patterns illustrate how intersecting dimensions of advantage and disadvantage, alongside underlying patriarchal assumptions, create systematic disparities that reinforce both gender and geographical inequalities.