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1.0 INTRODUCTION
Information and communication technology (IT) has become
a potent force for transforming social, economic, and political life in
developing countries and the rest of the World. Only if women and other
groups of our large society will have the access to Information Technology
can the developing countries enjoy the full benefits of it for their development.
This calls for efforts to build an enabling environment assuring women's
everyday usage of basic information and communication technologies such
as the telephone and fax, and perhaps electronic mail and Internet. It
should be further stressed that these basic information communication
services are as important to women living in rural and remote areas just
as it is to elite women most of them living in urban areas.
The current statistics on women's access to Information
Technology in developing countries is truly not impressive. For example,
"Gender, Information Technology, and Developing Countries",
a new study by the Academy for Educational Development's LearnLink project,
looked at the data from nearly 30 countries and found that less than 1
percent of the total population in all developing countries use the Internet.
Available figures show women users comprise 22 percent in Asia, 38 percent
in Latin America, 6 percent in the Middle East, and an unknown -but likely
low- percentage in Africa, given Internet penetration. These users generally
are from the urban, educated elite, and primarily use computers in the
workplace for routine office work. The study warns that the gender divide
in Internet access is particularly acute in rural areas where women make
up 60 percent of the population. [Reference 4.0]
This paper comprehensively analyses the barriers to women's
access as well as strategies to ensure women's access to IT at all levels
of the social and economic spectrum in developing countries. At the epicenter
of all these excellent strategies I propose the adoption of sound National
ICT Policies that treat women as an important social group facing unique
access barriers and with special information needs. Policies that do not
have a gender perspective of this kind might not always provide the necessary
conditions needed to guarantee women a more equitable access to new and
emerging communications technologies and electronic information sources.
Our efforts to reduce the IT gender divide should not cease with the provision
of basic information needs to women. Women can be trained in computing
and occupy top IT professional positions such as Systems Analysts, Lectures
and Managers. After all, statistics from Obafemi Awolowo University in
Nigeria show that final year female students perform better than their
male counterparts in both computer software and hardware disciplines offered
by the university (Soriyan and Aina, 1991). This is why, I also look at
the factors hindering women's enrollment to higher education in IT courses
followed by the suggestions on how to tackle the situation.
Better Information Communications Technologies access for women will come
with a number of opportunities for them and society at large. IT promises
better economic prospects, fuller political participation, communication
with the outside world, easy access to information, and an enhanced ability
to acquire education and skills and to transcend social restrictions.
I sum and discuss all these benefits under one heading: Women Empowerment
through Information Technology in Developing Countries.
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2.0 FACTORS INFLUENCING WOMEN'S ACCESS TO INFORMATION
TECHNOLOGY IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
We have seen that in most developing countries very small
numbers of women have the possibility of using new information technologies.
This section will examine the numerous constraints that have limited women's
access. [Reference 7.0,5.0]
2.1 Literacy and education: Women
need basic literacy and numeracy in order to read and compose simple messages,
navigate the Internet, and execute commands in most software applications.
As women make up nearly two-thirds of the world's illiterate, and one
out of every two women in developing countries is illiterate, women are
more likely than men to lack literacy and computer skills, which would
enable them to take advantage of the new global communication opportunities
2.2 Language:The overwhelming dominance of English and, to a lesser extent,
of other major international languages on the Internet, excludes access
to the majority of the world's population who speak other languages. This
factor significantly impacts women and other marginalized groups without
access to the formal schooling that would allow them to learn international
languages, but it also cuts across class lines in regions where English
is not the major regional language, such as the Middle East, Latin a America,
and Francophone Africa. Language is also a barrier, since most training
packages, software, and electronic conferences and journals are in English.
2.3 Cost: The cost of
connectivity is an impediment to the adoption of its in developing countries.
Because of women's overall lower economic status, the barrier of cost
is more pronounced. In a memo to the International Telecommunications
Union, the UN agency for women, UNIFEM, points out the ramifications of
the high cost of connectivity for women.
2.4 Geographical location: The
geographic location of public Internet centres also affects women's access
to information technology in developing countries. Women's mobility is
considerably more limited than men's in most societies. This mobility
may be further limited in conservative societies where religious or social
customs do not permit women to travel in public without male supervision.
2.5 Time: Women who either
work or need to take care of their families may not be able to use public
access Internet centers during the day, while evening hours when women
take care of families or where it is unsafe for women to travel to and
from a public facility may be equally problematic. Lack of time was cited
as one of the reasons that the resident advisor of a telecenter in Ghana
used to explain lower women's usage rates.
2.6 Social and cultural norms:
Girls' and women's ability to access IT is also shaped largely by socio-cultural
norms that determine female behavior and interests. As discussed earlier,
in many culturally conservative societies, women are often not allowed
to go without supervision to public venues where men are present. Moreover,
women may be uncomfortable frequenting a cybercafé with predominantly
male users or seeking help from male staff. Cultural norms discourage
interaction between women and men outside their family and women may also
be unfamiliar and thus uncomfortable with interaction with men, due to
sex segregated classrooms or schools, which are common in many Middle
Eastern countries.
2.7 Skills: Even if women
have access to all of the complementary inputs described above, they still
cannot access information technology without a minimal set of computer
skills. This is illustrated by the case of the Bamshela telecenter project
in South Africa. The telecenter had been operating for three years, but
the users, who were primarily women, made use of it primarily as a phone
shop because they lacked the skills to use the computers and fax machines.
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3.0 STRATEGIES TO IMPROVE WOMEN'S
ACCESS TO INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
Information technology can offer significant opportunities
for virtually all girls and women in developing countries, including poor
women living in rural areas. However, their ability to take advantage
of these opportunities is contingent upon meeting a number of challenges.
The discussion that follows is about the challenges and suggestions on
the strategies to overcome these challenges.
3.1 Creating conducive policy that is gender sensitive:
The time is particularly appropriate to ensure the inclusion of gender
concerns in national IT policy, as most developing countries are either
in the process of or about to start elaborating these policies. Such a
policy, I suggest, should have an explicit gender perspective and treat
women as an important social group with special information needs. Before
we go further however, we need to justify the need of developing ICT Policy
of this kind.
Decades of experience have shown that without explicit attention to gender
in policy, gender issues are not considered in implementation. Despite
the views of many Government policy makers that a well thought out general
policy benefits all there is no such a thing as gender-blind or gender
neutral1 ICT policy. Governments also say that the fact that they already
have a gender equality policy obviates the need to spell out gender issues
in every sectoral policy. On the contrary there is much evidence to show
that "Policy making in technological fields often ignores the needs,
requirements and aspirations of women unless gender analysis is included
(Marcelle 2000, 39). Without specific attention and action, the benefits
do not accrue equitably to men and women, and it is inevitably women who
are left out.
Perhaps, the principal question then is, how do we include gender concerns
on our ICT Policy? Table 1 serves as a guideline. The left column of the
table shows some important components present on ICT Policies of many
developing countries. The right column is the recommendation on how to
include gender concerns on each of these components.
Table 12 Gender Aspects to ICT Policy issues
ICT POLICY ISSUE GENDER ASPECT
Infrastructure Is the Infrastructure to be deployed throughout the country
in all areas where women predominate?
Network modernization. Does the proposed modernization provide infrastructure
that is affordable to most women?
Licensing If fees for Telecommunications, ISP and mobile service licenses
are high, they will be passed to users limiting the affordability to women
and the poor.
Tariff Policy High customs duties on mobile telephones and computer equipment
as well as high prices for telephone services are deterrents to women
users.
Regulatory Frameworks Regulatory frameworks can permit the resale of mobile
phone services, often profitable to women businesses for women to establish.
ICT Industry development and labour policies. Encouragement and incentives
must be given to encourage women to enter all segments of the ICT labour
force not just the menial electronic assembly they have dominated in the
past.
E-Government Women could benefit from many e-government services especially
and voter registration and licence applications.
1 Some people want to avoid the term gender neutral because of confusion
over its meaning. By gender neutral I mean a policy or a program that
purports to impact men and women in the same manner.
2Modified from table 1 on "Gender issues in ICT Policy in developing
countries: An overview" By Nancy Hafkin.
We should all understand therefore, that without explicit gender analysis
and incorporation of the results into policy instruments, it is unlikely
that the results will have a positive impact on women. For example, as
we have seen in table 1, without specific inclusion of gender issues,
the benefits of IT may bypass women even if their countries develop adequate
information infrastructure and service delivery.
To make the proposed kind of policy a reality and productive, we should
as well give attention to the following issues:
· In order to ensure women's ability to take advantage of opportunities
presented by information technology, gender and development and IT policy
makers need to enter a dialogue so that IT programs meet the needs of
women and so that women-targeted programs contain IT training and awareness.
· Although most women in the developing world have had little contact
with IT to date, it is not too late to get women in on the ground floor
of IT policy and infrastructure development in many countries. It is imperative
that the gender dimension of the digital divide be considered early in
the process of IT diffusion, rather than as a corrective measure after
the fact.
· Gender issues should be considered not only in the content of
IT policy but also in the process of policy elaboration, implementation,
and evaluation.
3.2 Extending Communications Infrastructure:
Increasing women's access to information and communication
technologies in developing countries should involve increasing availability
of communication in areas where women live, since most women in developing
countries live in presently underserved areas. Extension of infrastructure,
particularly wireless and satellite communications, to rural areas and
peri-urban areas is crucial to increasing women's access to information
technology. Emphasis needs to be on common use facilities, such as telecenters,
phone shops, and other forms of public access in places convenient and
accessible to women.
3.3 Increasing levels of education: The
single most important factor in improving the ability of girls and women
in developing countries to take full advantage of the opportunities offered
by information technology is education, at all levels from literacy through
scientific and technological education. Such improvement requires interventions
at all levels of education. First, the concentrated efforts of the past
ten years to ensure girls' and women's access to quality basic education
should be continued and strengthened. Technologies could be integrated
into girls' education and women's literacy programs to expose girls to
new technologies at earlier stages.
3.4 Equipping Women with IT skills: Beyond
access to basic education, girls and women must be equipped with skills
to prepare them for a range of roles in information technology as users,
creators, designers, and managers. Therefore, efforts should focus on
increasing the number of girls and women studying IT-related subjects
in formal schooling and seeking IT training outside of school, as well
as related areas to help them fully utilize IT skills.
3.4.1 Factors hindering women's enrollment in information
technology courses in developing countries.
The aim of this section is to probe further into
the reasons why girls and women in developing countries are not pursuing
courses leading to careers in IT in the same numbers as boys and men.
Recommendations on the ways to reverse this trend are reserved for the
discussion in the next section.
· Computer use and expertise have been associated with masculinity,
because many people believe that computer belongs to the male domain of
science, mathematics, electronics and machinery. Therefore, gender socialization
serves to act negatively on female students.
· The small number of women in IT academic positions means that
there are very few role models for women students to demonstrate that
an IT academic career for women is possible. Some female graduate students
at universities where there are no female faculty have complained about
their feelings of isolation.
· The learning environment in computer science
programs tends to discourage women, with courses typically taught by male
professors, who may not regard female students seriously in the classroom,
and who create a competitive rather than a cooperative environment. These
factors tend to contribute to a significantly higher dropout rate among
female computer science students than among their male counterparts.
· Researchers have reported that the main
users of computer at home are males, and since there is evidence of same-sex
modeli with families, males are more likely than female to get interested
in computers. In the university, computer science is more frequently taught
by male teachers. (Camp, 2000). [Reference 1.0]
3.4.1 How to improve women's enrollment in information
technology courses in developing countries.
For enrolment rate to increase in all colleges and
universities, governments, parents and IT companies in developing countries
must do the following to reduce the gender gap. [Reference1.0, 3.0]
· Computer courses should start in all secondary schools (private
and public) as a compulsory course and should be included in Secondary
School Certificate Examination as compulsory subject. Schools should organize
seminars and workshops on computer appreciation to sensitize female students
to the need to take on careers in computer science.
· Since it appears very difficult for women to get to higher position
in companies dealing with IT especially in developing countries, governments
should make sure that more than fifty percent of IT staff in any organization
are female. So far women are aware that immediately after their degrees
they can easily get a job; those that are not interested will develop
interest in studying computer science.
· All the education stakeholders should encourage undergraduate
women in computing by providing scholarship for female students in colleges
and universities, so as to buy books and other essential things.
· Offer opportunities for parents to become aware of IT careers
and issues in order for them to motivate their sons and daughters - perhaps
a Family Computing Day for mothers and daughters.
· Expose students to female role models in technology . . .. Give
girls a positive "can do" message by bringing in women speakers
and arranging field trips where girls and boys can see women performing
important jobs in technology-related industries. Design lessons that ask
students to research women's contributions in the areas of science, math
and technology. (Jenson, J)
3.5 Ensuring access of IT to Poor Women: Although
to date most of the women accessing information technology have been from
the educated elite, poor women in development countries can overcome the
constraints that presently prevent their access and can use IT to meet
their basic needs and exercise their fundamental rights. Technological
and social solutions exist to the constraints that presently keep poor
women from using information technology. Most of these solutions have
been tested in pilot projects. However, virtually none yet have easily
replicable business models. Among the most interesting are those that
are underway in India, which has become a hotbed of IT applications to
meet the needs of the poor in developing countries. These include projects
by SEWA, Gyandoot/Dhar, Tarahaat, and the Indian National Dairy Development
Board
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4.0 WOMEN EMPOWERMENT THROUGH INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES.
Fatma Alloo, Founder of the Tanzania Media Women's
Association (TAMWA), once wrote to her fellow women very passionately:
"We must recognize that information technology is here to stay....
What we have to decide is whether we... play the game and turn it to our
advantage or lose out completely"
On the contrary, many people dismiss the concern for gender and IT in
developing countries on the basis that development should deal with basic
needs such as availability of clean water first. However, as Fatma Alloo
pointed out, it is not a choice between one and the other. IT can be an
important tool in meeting women's basic needs and can provide the access
to resources to lead women out of poverty. It can also be utilised in
many different ways to meet their collective political ends. Indeed, if
we attempt to put too little attention to the matter of women's access
to IT in favour of doing so to women's basic needs, then we should be
rest assured to face the associated risk, the move will only serve to
marginalize women further from their immediate societies and from the
World.
4.1 Economic empowerment: Uses
of information technology can assist women in their current economic activities,
including farming, trade, and entrepreneurship. For instance, women farmers
could greatly increase productivity using information on improved technologies,
agricultural inputs, weather and markets. Traders and other entrepreneurs
need to find marketing information and disseminate information about their
businesses. Schoolgirls from the local communities who generally learn
computer skills rapidly could be trained to serve as information intermediaries
for the older women.
IT-enabled communications businesses offer much promise for women entrepreneurs.
Given high demand, low capital and skills requirements, these businesses
are within the reach of many women in developing countries, if their country
has the necessary enabling environment permitting the establishment of
such businesses. Availability of credit, particularly in the form of micro-credit,
is a necessity for women to enter such businesses.
For employment in core sector information technology jobs, women in developing
countries need to acquire the necessary training to move into more technical,
better-paying, cognitively oriented jobs. Apart from degrees in science
and technology, women can master many aspects of computer use and maintenance
with much less training, with much of it available outside the formal
education system.
4.2 Political empowerment: IT
is a forceful tool to improve governance and strengthen democracy. It
is particularly powerful for giving a voice to women who so frequently
in developing countries have been isolated, invisible, and without a voice.
Information technology can contribute to the political empowerment of
women as tools for networking women to perform social and political advocacy,
to strengthen women's participation in the political process, to improve
the performance of elected women officials, to improve women's access
to government and its services, to educate, and to disseminate indigenous
knowledge. IT is particularly useful in increasing the transparency of
accountability of government - an application from which women can particularly
profit.
For example, to promote participation of Third World women in public policy-making,
the International Women's Democracy Center (IWDC) has developed an on-line
training program on how to run for political office. IWDC trained 200
women from 39 countries at the Beijing women's conference and in the near
future, will introduce the training package in 12 countries, IWDC will
target poor, rural women by training local community and NGO leaders who,
in turn, will train women in their communities. [Reference2.0]
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6.0 REFERENCES
1.0 Abimbola Olubukola, Bayode I. POPOOLA, Peter Adebayo
IDOWU, Nigerian women in information technology and computer science education.
2.0 Catherine Rielly, Consultant to Malian Offices of the President and
Prime Minister, Africa Executive Office Network, The use of information
technology to promote effective democratic governance
3.0 Ellen Spertus, Why are there so few women computer scientists? MIT
Artificial Intelligence Laboratory Technical Report 1315.
4.0 Gender, Information Technology, and Developing Countries,
a new study by the Academy for Educational Development's LearnLink project
5.0 Helen Aitkin, Rural Women and Telecommunication in
Developing Countries
International Program Manager, TeleCommons Development Group, Canada
6.0 Jenson, J. (1999). Girls ex machine: A School-Based
Study of Gender, Culture and Technology. Ph.D. Thesis, Simon Frazer University.
7.0 Marcelle G, 2000 "Incorporating Gender Perspective
to African National ICT Policies"
8.0 Nancy Hafkin and Nancy Taggart, Gender, Information Technology, and
Developing Countries June 2001 An Analytic Study For USAID's Office of
Women in Development.
Available at: http://www.mines.edu/fs home /new-study.htm
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