Shaping a gender equality policy in higher education: which human capabilities matter?

Abstract

South African institutions still confront gendered inequalities, irrespective of transformative national policies, compounded by the absence of a national gender equality policy for higher education. We therefore explore the potential of the capabilities approach (CA) to inform policy formation and argue for the development of a policy for higher education institutions based on opportunities for valuable functionings as the informational basis for gender equality. Using one university as our case study, data from 38 interviews with female and male students were analysed as part of a longitudinal study on Gender, Empowerment, Agency and Higher Education. The data reveal which opportunities these women and men find important for their personal development and directly and indirectly for gender equality. We conclude by discussing the implications of the data for stimulating public dialogues towards formulating a capabilities-based gender equality policy, as well as reflecting on the broader contributions the CA brings to policy development.

Keywords:

• higher education
• gender equality
• policy
• capabilities approach
• human development
• social justice

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank the participants of this study for their insights and sharing their experiences, as well as the National Research Foundation for funding this project. We would also like to thank the anonymous reviewers for their valuable critique in shaping this paper.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1. The GEAHE project started in 2012 and aims to capture women's agency empowerment over time as well as the extent to which the higher education environment is conducive to the production and sustainability of gender justice. It is funded by the National Research Foundation through its support for the SARChI chair in Higher Education and Human Development.

2. Under the Apartheid regime South African racial groups were divided into Asian/Indian, black, coloured and white. Currently, racial equity interventions still differentiate between white and black, the latter of which includes all non-white racial groups marginalised through apartheid.