The realization of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is inextricably linked to a genuine commitment to gender equity in education. This study investigates gender-based differences in students’ awareness and engagement with sustainability challenges across varying educational levels and socio-economic contexts in South Africa, representing the broader Global South. Employing a quantitative approach, the study sampled 1,591 students from four South African tertiary institutions using random selection methods. Data were gathered through an online questionnaire and analysed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS), incorporating Kruskal-Wallis H tests and binary logistic regression. The findings indicate that female students demonstrate significantly higher levels of sustainability consciousness in economic and environmental domains, although not in the social dimension. These insights hold important implications for the integration of gender-responsive strategies within sustainability education frameworks. The research highlights the need to leverage female students’ heightened awareness as a conduit for transformative change, foster inclusive leadership through collaborative learning environments, support male engagement via participation in culturally relevant and discipline-specific spaces, and address structural gender disparities through targeted institutional reforms. Overall, this study contributes to the evolving discourse on educational equity and sustainability by emphasizing the value of gender inclusion in driving systemic innovation across the higher education landscape in South Africa.

Keywords: Sustainability education, gender equity, engagement, higher education, South Africa, sustainable development.