Antecedents that Restrain or Drive Female Students’ Activeness in Climate Change Mitigation – A South African Baseline Case Study

Abstract

Climate change is one of the major challenges to sustainable development which negatively affects humanity. Universities, both distance learning and contact, need to review and reconfigure approaches to blend critical knowledge and action for climate change mitigation. A starting point is to understand the views and practices of enrolled students to identify driving and restraining antecedents on climate change and mitigation. The inclusive role of women and empowerment in climate mitigation is increasingly being acknowledged. The United Nations SDGs 13 (take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts) and 5 (achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls) provide reference for this study. This study explored the views of female students at a South African university on climate change to identify antecedents likely to restrain or drive women activeness in climate change mitigation. The embedded mixed-method baseline case design used an electronic questionnaire with open and closed questions. A total of 58% (24) of the 41 respondents were female students. The driving antecedents included a basic understanding of climate change and awareness of the SDGS (75%). The restraining antecedents included a realisation to do more to mitigate climate change (54.3%) and a level of excellence in research, innovation and problem-solving skills (< 30%). The findings confirm that there is much to be addressed in women empowerment with a focus on mitigation measures and skills. Higher education stakeholders should be cognisant of these antecedents in curriculum design and implementation and crafting specific projects for identified antecedents.