Intersectionality in Education Policy Documents

Abstract

With educational inequalities intensively studied through empirical and academic research over the last few decades, there is now a growing recognition that an intersectionality perspective is necessary for a better understanding of vulnerabilities. This paper underlines the importance of intersectionality for policy analysis and policy making by using findings from PIONEERED, a project funded by the Horizon 2020 research and innovation program. The paper demonstrates that intersectionality is increasingly recognized in scholarship regarding educational inequalities of the nine PIONEERED countries, and slowly taking root among stakeholders in these countries. A review of education policies highlighted that while in all analysed countries the policy perceptions of educational vulnerability have become increasingly complex over time, acknowledging the multitude of disadvantages and vulnerabilities that contribute to education inequalities, nevertheless in most cases, policies do not explicitly incorporate the intersectional framework. Considering the limited inquiry into the topic, this study uniquely addresses the extent to which education policy documents are cognizant of different axes of inequalities and intersectionality in defining vulnerable groups.