This research aims to explore the education dilemmas that Chinese rural female students encounter. Due to the huge urban-rural disparity in China, rural populations are usually disadvantaged in the field of education. Besides, a significant gender gap exists within the upper secondary education level.
This research employs three theoretical frameworks -feminist intersectionality; cultural capital theory; human capital theory -to investigate the obstacles that rural female students face in the upper secondary and higher education stages. Referring to intersectionality, we regard rural female students' educational obstacles as multiple and interrelated. Those obstacles, include: urban-rural divides, patriarchy, cultural discourse and structure limitations. Cultural capital theory suggests that the unconscious transmission of cultural capital has a vital role in domestic education, which can impact on educational achievement as well as reproducing existing social class. Human capital theory implies that education is an economic investment for individuals and holds aprimary incentive for poor rural population to obtain higher educational attainment levels. Some possible solutions are provided in order to tackle the education dilemma.