Gender, information technology and the digital divide in Africa and other
developing areas
Nancy J. Hafkin, at theThe World Bank28 March 2001
PREM Gender and Development Group
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Areas to look at why consider gender and IT? access usage women and IT decision making IT and women’s work IT for economic and political
empowerment policy ensuring women’s inclusion
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Why do you need Internet if you don’t have clean water? basic needs not in opposition- all
needed information technology can facilitate
access to education and health care access to IT linked to development;
absence means further marginalization ending isolation facilitates economic
growth, alleviates poverty, empowers women
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All good or all bad?
Not all good:– sexual
exploitation– putting women
in low wage, low end jobs
– threats to women’s jobs
Not all bad– new jobs and
opportunities– end to isolation– broadened
range of vision
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Access: not just a connected computer . . .
literacy education technical literacy costs language culture and society information use skills
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Literacy and education
women 2/3’s of world’s illiterates
one of two women in developing countries illiterate
negative attitudes towards schoolgirls in science and math
studying computer science- falling in the U.S., but high in many developing countries
S&T education: lowest rates among women in Africa
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“Only ugly girls study science . . .” FAWE- lack of self-esteem, poor self-
image, non-assertive behavior largely male math and science
teachers discourage young girls girls 2.1% of engineering students
Ghana, 1.6% in Kenya hopeful: women 15.8% of engineers,
41.2% of math and computer science students in Sudan
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Time, cost, location, technical skills women don’t have time costs more in developing countries no computers at home can women get there? what are Windows? need information use skills
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What if you don’t speak English?
to date dominance of English on Internet
but falling: 95% in 1999, 68.4% in 2000
followed by German, Japanese, French
Chinese expected to be first by 2008
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Women’s IT usage in Africa and other developing regions no surprise, it’s low compare to 51% of users in U.S.
women, 60% of population with Internet access
but % of women increasing everywhere no correlation between female usage
and expected indicators women users in developing countries
part of small, educated urban elite
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Women as % of Internet users, Africa
Country Women as %of users
Internetusers as % ofpopulation
Zambia 37.5 0.0
Uganda 31.5 0.1
South Africa 19.0 3.0
Ethiopia 13.9 0.01
Senegal 12.0 0.1
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Increases in % women’s use last yearCountry % 1999 % 2000
Philippines 43 51
Brazil 25 43
Mexico 33 42
WesternAsia
4 6
China 21 30.4
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Some large absolute numbers Numbers of women Internet users
– Brazil 1.075 Million– China 6.840 Million– Russia 4.560 Million
Expected by 2003– 8 million women users in China– 2 million women users in India
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Deepest of the digital divide . . .
Country Internet users as %of population
D.R. Congo 0.00Somalia 0.00Bangladesh 0.00Papua New Guinea 0.00Burundi 0.00Liberia 0.00
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What women use IT for networking for political advocacy networking for business women medium-scale formal sector
entrepreneurs using business applications almost as much as men
e-mail and discussion lists more than Web
corporate sector trying to entice women in dc’s into global shopping mall
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Women as producers, decision makers
Issue: women shouldn’t remain passive consumers of IT
not there yet as producers, except in software programming
women absent from IT decision making some women ministers of communication no developing country women in ITU
study groups or on ICANN
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IT and women’s work in first phase of globalized manufacturing,
many jobs for women in assembly of electronics (Asia, Latin America)
women losing out in knowledge and technology-intensive jobs
new jobs emerging in service industries-remote data entry, call centers
African women can compete in service industries with sufficient infrastructure, language skills
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Teleworking
IT work has not moved to women’s homes except at professional level
women prefer telecottages teleworking in dc’s is outsourcing women need skills training and
upgrading to retain jobs
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Economic empowerment: what IT opportunities can women seize? Farmers: need information on
markets, agricultural inputs, food preservation and storage
access problems can be overcome: farm radio, listening clubs, WorldSpace, community centers with intermediaries
train schoolgirls as community information assistants
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Entrepreneurs
need marketing information, locate new clients
make businesses more efficient and profitable
women entrepreneurs not using IT as much as men
can be used economically by businesses grossing more than $20,000/year
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New economy opportunities outsourcing, teleworking, teleservices
– $103 billion/year low human resource requirements-
secondary education, basic computer skills, ability to recognize Latin script
low capital requirements recession resistant good telecommunications
infrastructure needed
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e-commerce
for existing businesses and new economy
in B-C need unique products, ability to transcend delivery problems
some success stories: tortasperu.com, ethiogift.com, peoplink.org, elsouk.com, barnacraft.org (SEWA)
B-B and B-G better than B-C
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IT-enabled businesses
Grameen Phones STD booths (India) teleboutiques (Senegal) low capital, skills requirements good telecommunications
infrastructure not always needed links with ICT policy
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IT for political empowerment
to end women’s isolation and give them a voice to network women for social and political
advocacy to strengthen women’s participation in the
political process to improve performance of elected women
officials to improve women’s access to government and
its services through education through the dissemination of indigenous
knowledge
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Engendering ICT policy
must be done to ensure women included, women-friendly access alternatives exist
also, gender and development policy needs to include possibilities offered by ICT
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Ensuring women’s inclusion- how to do it? Technology will take care of some access
problems Training for women in non-traditional fields Develop role models Inclusion of ICT training in training and
education projects for girls and women Train young women from communities at
community centers Improve girl’s and women’s education in
Africa
We must recognize that this Information Technology is here to stay . . . what we have to decide is we either play the game . . . and turn it to our advantage or lose out completely.”
Fatma Alloo, Federation of Tanzania Media Women, Zanzibar