Essays on Educational Equality of Opportunity: Methodologies, Resilience, and Gender Disparities

This dissertation explores the challenges and dynamics of Educational Equality of Opportunity (EEOp) through three interconnected themes: methodologies, academic resilience, and gender disparities. Utilizing quantitative methods, it investigates the mechanisms that contribute to an unequal distribution of educational outcomes and opportunities. The first section reviews the state of the art in EEOp literature, focusing on the principal approaches used to measure it. The second empirically examines innovative methodological frameworks for assessing EEOp, highlighting both their strengths and limitations. The third section delves into the concept of academic resilience, identifying key factors that enable disadvantaged students to overcome educational barriers. Finally, the fourth section addresses gender disparities in educational attainment, analyzing the root causes of these gaps and their implications for future policy interventions. By integrating these perspectives, this dissertation offers a comprehensive analysis of how educational systems can be structured to foster greater fairness and equality.