What do we know about Gender and ICTs? Results of the WSIS

GC Research Competition

Eva Rathgeber

Joint Chair in Women’s Studies

University of Ottawa/ Carleton University

Why a research program?

• Little research specifically about impact of ICTS on women, esp. in developing countries

• Little understanding that ICTs not gender neutral

• Most people working in ICT sector saw them as hardware and not as social tools

WSIS GC Research Program

• Overall objective to enlarge the knowledge base on gender and ICTs

• Create deeper understanding of how gender and ICTs interact

Focus on:

1. Documentation, analysis and evaluation of efforts to mainstream gender into ICT policy

2. Applications and content 3. Theories and methodologies

The Process…

• Two rounds of competition • Total of 39 small grants• Substantial proportion to students

Choice of Topics by RegionPolicy Applicatio

ns/ContentTheories /Methods

Africa 3 11 0

Asia 3 5 0

LA/ Car 2 5 0

E.Europe 1 3 0

W.Europe

0 2 0

N. America

2 0 0

The results: what have we learned?

1. Gender advocates within

government must take active role to ensure that ICT policy is gender mainstreamed

Research…

• In Chile, govt has given strong support, and ICT policy is gender sensitive

• But in other cases, as in Trinidad and Tobago, the national ICT plan is gender blind and gender equality and equity absent

• Gender equity will not happen without strong support from inside the government, regardless of the level of advocacy outside 

Results…

2. Very few countries have integrated government gender mainstreaming activities with national ICT policies/ strategies

Research…

- In Uganda NGOs or women’s groups have little input into policy making

- They find out about new policies after the fact and sometimes they are deliberately excluded from the policymaking process

- Happened w/ the national ICT strategy developed in 2003.

In Europe…

• EU has important role in encouraging gender sensitivity

• but no general agreement about need to focus on gender in the development of e-inclusion

• study of Sweden, U.K., Italy, Estonia, Hungary concluded that the higher the level of information development in a society, the less deep the digital divide

So…

• in Sweden, because there is a highly developed information society, plus existing emphasis on gender mainstreaming, there is also more openness to including gender concerns into ICT policy

 

Results…

3. Everywhere, the young use ICTs more than the old,males use them more than females, the educated use them more than the less educated

Research…

• In more highly developed information societies, gender gaps are closing, especially among young people and especially in Canada and the U.S.

And…

Governments everywhere are moving towards the provision of govt services on-line

India has moved rapidly in this direction

Need to ensure that older people and less educated people acquire basic ICT skills

Results…

4. Everywhere, ICT adoption is mediated through prevailing cultural norms

Research…

• In Togo and India it is socially unacceptable for women to go into internet cafes because they are thought to be looking for "internet adventures."

• In Zambia female ownership of mobile phones is regarded as a favour granted by husbands.

• In Zambia, only 25 % of women had access to radio

• In rural Uganda less than 1/3 had access to radio and depended on traditional communication like drummers, runners and church bells

 

Results…

5. The private sector plays an important role in the development of ICTs everywhere and is less likely to be gender sensitive unless there is outside intervention

Research…

– In Togo and India, private sector did not give priority to participation of women

– Cybercafes/ telecentres everywhere more likely to be owned, managed and used by men

– But when they were owned by women they tended to attract more women

Elsewhere…

• In Canada most of the “old” media and the “new” media are owned by the same four conglomerates which have always stereotyped women

• In Trinidad and Tobago, ICT training provided by the private sector overlooks needs of rural women, stay-at-home women and unemployed women

Results…

6. Women’s experience as ICT workers is gender stereotyped in both the North and the South

• Everywhere women ICT workers are valued for their “feminine skills”

 

Research…

• In Switzerland, good technical and social skills essential for ICT workers but female social skills considered “natural” and not valued like male social skills

• Women have greater need to “prove” technical skills

• Women went into ICTs because of specific experiences or mentoring while men went as result of “logical decisions.”

In India…• Women in call centers

below 30 with degrees in business, computer science,engineering

• Dislike night time working hours

• Health impaired by lack of sleep, poor food served at the centers, sitting in one place for eight hours.

• Little social life outside their call center colleagues and often rude American customers.

• But good money and some prestige.

• Women preferred because they are politer and more patient in helping to solve customer problems

And in Belarus, Russia, Ukraine…

• Under the Soviet system women were very present in the ICT sector but now they are drifting out

• Much of the ICT work is outsourced from abroad and operates in the “shadow economy” with no benefits

• Makes it difficult for women w/ families

• Moreover, the outsourcing nations are not used to seeing women in these jobs and are reluctant to hire them

Results…

7. National govt’s and communities should develop ICT plans rather than allow donors to decide for them

Research…

– Malawi experience showed that it was not sufficient for donors to equip a radio station w/ no cover for recurrent costs

– Communities have to know what they need and be able to say “no”

Results…

8. National women’s movements do not necessarily participate in the promotion of ICTs

Research…

- many activists not trained in the use of ICTs - often have problems with language (English)

- some lack basic typing skills

• Therefore need to make special efforts to enlist their support and participation

Women’s groups in CEE• study on use of

internet to promote/ facilitate women’s activism in Eastern and Central Europe showed success depends on huge organizational effort/commitment plus prior networks especially on the part of the discussion leaders.

• Through use of internet discussion groups, women (and some men) from all over the world became involved in the construction of definition of “local” issues that could be transformed into global politics and social movements.

Moreover…

• Participation limited by existing infrastructure. Ugandan study showed urban women more likely to participate in ICT-based advocacy because they had better infrastructure

• In Uganda women’s groups often compete for funds so they are less likely to cooperate or to share ideas

Results…

9. Sometimes government moves faster than civil society…

Research…Chilean paradox

• Sernan, the state gender agency relied heavily on the use of ICTs as a tool for the introduction of gender mainstreaming throughout the government.

• did this with web pages, e-mail and other ICT tools.

• strong support from the office of the president and the gov’t hierarchy

• But did not look for nor receive broad support/ participation from Chilean women’s movement, and didn’t send electronic bulletins/regular information

Finally…

• Putting together these findings one sees the need for continued and active intervention by feminists on behalf of the participation of women in the information society…