| INTRODUCTION
Information
and communication technology (IT) has become a potent force
for transforming social, economic, and political life globally.
Yet the uneven distribution of IT within societies and across
the globe is resulting in a "digital divide" between
those who have access to information resources and those who
do not. Most women in developing countries are in the deepest
part of the divide, further removed from the information age
than the men whose poverty they share. Women's lower levels
of literacy and education relative to men, as well as negative
attitudes towards girls' achievement in science and mathematics,
contribute to the gender dimension of the digital divide.
In addition, women across the world enjoy a lower degree of
economic security than men and face gender-related constraints
on their time and mobility. Without access to information
technology, an understanding of its significance, and the
ability to use it for social and economic gain, women in the
developing world will be further marginalized from the mainstream
of their communities, their countries, and the world.
 top
of page
| Did
you Know? |
| In
Bangladesh, the cost of hooking up to the Internet could
feed a family for a year. In the Philippines...an Internet
hookup amounting to US$200 is beyond the reach of even
the middle class.. It is a luxury item for most families,
and access to it is work-related.
~Rhona
O. Bautista, "Staking Their Claim: Women, Electronic
Networking and Training in Asia," in Women@Internet:Creating
New Cultures in Cyberspace |
IT
presents unique and timely opportunities for women. 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. IT is especially important
to poor women because it can provide increased access to resources,
the absence of which defines poverty. Hence, it should be
viewed as a tool to facilitate access to a variety of development
resources rather than as a competing interest. In the context
of communication, transportation, and other constraints of
the developing world, IT may be even more important for women
in developing countries than it is for women in the developed
world who have access to an abundance of alternatives.
top
of page
However,
IT is not a panacea for surmounting the obstacles to women's
social, political, and economic development. In the context
of globalization and shifts in the structure of the international
economy, technology-related changes in manufacturing processes
might eliminate women's jobs or put them in new jobs with
harsh conditions and low pay. IT is a powerful tool, but one
which is not always used in a positive way. For example, the
Internet is already being employed to promote sexual exploitation
and trafficking of women. However, anti-trafficking activists
are beginning to explore IT as a means of combating sexual
exploitation.
top
of page
IT policy must be informed by a gender perspective while advocates
for gender equality, in turn, must be aware of the opportunities
and challenges that technology brings. Failure to consider
gender issues in the early stages of technology diffusion
may unwittingly generate negative effects on women. Even seemingly
gender-neutral decisions about infrastructure can impact women's
opportunities to use new technologies. The ways in which women's
IT access, participation, and leadership are addressed will
determine whether information technology empowers women or
contributes to their further economic and social marginalization.
While information technology is not without risks, the greatest
risk for women is in not joining the global information society.
|
Nancy
Hafkin
Print Friendly Version
Get Full Study
Download PDF
Email a Friend
Take
our Survey