FOREWORD:
To help women and men in developing countries overcome the digital divide, we first need to understand the complex relationship between gender, information technology, and development. How can information technology be used to accelerate development and increase gender equity? Are there barriers to women's entry into the world of information technology? Where are the most persistent barriers to participation? Are there regional differences?

The USAID Office of Women in Development (G/WID) supported the study, "Gender, Information Technology, and Developing Countries," to help answer these questions. This study examines what we do and do not know about the gender dimension of the digital divide. It identifies some of the key barriers to women's participation in information technology, as well as some areas where women already are participating in and benefiting from the use of information technology. Dr. Hafkin and Ms. Taggart have provided a solid foundation for USAID and our colleagues in developed and developing countries as we look for effective ways to address those barriers.

On behalf of USAID's Office of Women in Development, I would like to thank Dr. Anthony Meyer of USAID's Center for Human Capacity Development and Dr. Dennis Foote, Director of the Academy for Educational Development's Learnlink Project, for their cooperation and hard work in producing this study. Recognition also must be given to the pioneering women and men who are expanding the potential of information technology as a tool for economic and social development around the world. It is for these leaders, as well as for those who are not yet a part of the global information society, that we have commissioned this work.

~ Katherine M. Blakeslee
Director
Office of Women in Development
U.S. Agency for International Development

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