Information Technology (IT) has been promoted as an important tool in ensuring that marginalized groups, particularly women are included in the development of the global information society. The importance of danger mainstreaming in national and organizational information and communication technology (ICT) policies and strategies cannot be overstated.
While it alone cannot end gender inequality, it can go a long way in catalyzing social change and empowerment. It helps in poverty reduction and for the economic empowerment of poor women in Nigeria.
Because of its unique benefits, ICT has been recognized as a tool for empowering women. They are indispensable tools used by women to deal with the limitation of time, cost and distance problems and create new opportunities. One wonders if the ICT profession is a male affair. ICT is meant for all (women and men) because we live in the age where quality access to information and knowledge is the key to survival and performance. Individual, organizations and government all need and use ICT to be faster, more cost effective and efficient. ICT makes it possible for information to travel faster and cheaper and size of information and distance are no longer barriers.
However, women still have some challenges using ICT — while some believe it’s a male affair, others cannot comprehend the complexity of the technology.
There is a relationship between the empowerment of women and reduction of poverty and until there is a creation of wealth, reduction of poverty cannot take place. It can help women in creating wealth through the use of some social network sites like Facebook, Blogs, MySpace. These sites allow each user to own a page which gives detailed information about the person. This also serves as a means of knowledge sharing, advertising/marketing and social networking, i.e. bringing together one or more persons or organizations.
To get the full benefits of ICT, women must have access to it. Women should be able to use it. Must have the ability to utilize the benefits, earn, interact, and create wealth with the information and resources provided.
Without real access to technology, there is a limit to how and what women can contribute. Fewer women are accessing and using computers and the internet compared to men. Access needs to improve availability and quality. More women especially in the rural and informal sector need to use ICT to get things done in their lives and work. Women must participate actively in the use of ICT, i.e. users, professionals, producers and entrepreneurs.
To make a difference in the society, women must engage in productive ICT and ICT driven activities, usage and production.
In different fields and professions, women can use ICT to enable growth, create wealth, increase productivity and create new opportunities.
Better access to information and the ability to tap into the benefits of ICT enables women to be more competitive because ICT is so critical to the knowledge economy. You simply can’t function at your best if you don’t understand, adopt and grasp ICT.
However, the majority of women in developing countries are living in economic and social hardships that act to hinder these technologies from being utilised. Additionally, the level of illiteracy inhibits use of ICT. Women in developing societies lack financial resources to purchase hardware, software and to connect to the internet. They also lack sufficient computer education and training facilities to develop the needed competences to seize the opportunities opened up by ICT.
Therefore, step one would be to open doors of access for women to ICT with user friendly systems and relevant indigenous content. One channel to achieve these goals is via training centres that are built in cooperation with local institutions to which women have equal and open access such as community women and youth centres, clubs, public libraries, schools and universities.
Accessing ICT resources does not guarantee attaining empowerment and development, there still exist the lack of suitable approach and indigenous content through which women can work to improve their conditions. The type of information being accessed, especially whether it is locally relevant is central to the effectiveness and success of such initiatives.
There are multiple challenges to the ICTs becoming a positive force for women’s empowerment. Few participants directly referred to expense as a barrier. Financial resources are only one of many needed to make ICTs available and effective. Challenges include:
- The large percentage of women in developing countries who work in the informal sector.
- The lack of support for women working in the informal sector.
- The lack of infrastructure in developing countries for conducting e — commerce.
- The lack of gendered access to ICTs and ICT training especially for rural women.
- A lack of awareness of women to the benefits of ICTS.
- Language barriers to the use of ICTS for non-speakers of English.
The area where women economic activities are most concentrated in developing countries is in the informal economy- women working at home on handicrafts, sewing, hair making without any contracts or benefits. In some developing countries, ninety percent of economic active women are in the informal economy. If ICT is to make a difference in alleviating poverty and improving the well being of women and their families, it seems to me that it’s the crucial part of concentration.
The whole question of using ICT in the informal sector is a tough one as there are issues of access, delivery of information, training, local language and content among others. There also exist particular difficulties in trying to use ICT for informal sector women in developing countries. The infrastructure necessary for conducting e-commerce simply does not exist in most of the developing worlds.
Currently 25% of the world’s e-commerce is US based with Western Europe and Asia making up the rest. This means that global e-commerce policies may just be appropriate for developing countries as few developing counties have frameworks in ICTS. E-commerce activities may not be appropriate for local communities to promote inter regional trade within Africa. How many of our people possess Visa cards e.t.c to buy things on the internet? Most organizations that run web-e-commerce trade internationally. We need to develop ways to promote regional trade. In some developing countries, it is very difficult to open foreign currency accounts.
WAYS THAT ICTS CONTRIBUTE TO WOMEN’S ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT
- An increased ability for women to work from home
- Improved employment opportunities for women.
- Increased ability of informal sector women to move to the formal sector.
- Improved global access market for crafts women through e-commerce.
- Transformation of traditional gender roles.
- Improved access of women, especially rural women, to distance learning and distance work programs.
- Improved ability for the sharing of experiences among women’s organization concerned with the economic well being of women in the informal sector and
- Increased ability to avoid gender bias by having a gender opaque medium.
In order for ICTS to contribute to women’s economic empowerment, strategic actions must address the following:
- The provision of improved ICT access for women in the informal sector.
- The training of women in the use of ICT for record keeping.
- The linking of ICT organizations with women’s rights organization.
- The development of channels to allow foreign exchange trade for informal sector women.
- The use of ICTS to provide product, pricing and market information for informal sector women.
Strategic actions suggested to address the needs of the rural women include:
- The establishment of rural ICT centres
- The improvement of ICT access to support business linkages.
- The provision of improved e-mail access for rural women.
- The use of ICTS to create markets for the products and services of rural women.
- The initiation of well-supported rural ICT projects geared to women. ICT has no gender restrictions!
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Autor(en)/Author(s): Rohi Enaigbe
Quelle/Source: The Nigerian Observe, 15.01.2013
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