Overcoming the Gender Digital Divide

According to the authors, the continuous development of new technologies and their application to economic, political and social processes is creating new opportunities that could enhance the quality of human life. The paper offers research findings on the potential of information communication technologies (ICTs) and how they can empower and transform women's lives. This information was presented at a series of Virtual Seminars, commissioned by the United Nations International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women (INSTRAW) in 2002. It includes discussions and recommendations that resulted from the Virtual Seminars as well.

New types of education opportunities are available such as distance learning and on-line training as well as possibilities to access institutions of governance using on-line access to information. These are just a few of the opportunities emerging as a result of the use and application of ICTs in development. According to the paper, "it is becoming apparent that the benefits of these developments are not evenly distributed between and within countries. The reasons for this are mainly to be found in the unequal access to ICTs due to an unequal infrastructure base and existing differences in the knowledge base among developed and developing countries." The paper quotes the 1999 Human Development Report which states "25 per cent of all countries in the world have penetration levels for fixed telephone lines of less than 1 telephone for every 100 persons. The developed, industrial countries that are home to 15 per cent of all people account for 88 per cent of all Internet users. The United States of America for example, has more computers that the rest of the world combined and more computers per capita than any other country. In addition, of all spending in the world on information technology, just 55 countries account for 99 per cent. And it is only 2 per cent of the world's population that has access to ICTs and their most popular tools, such as computers, Internet, e-mail and so on."

This information helps in understanding the issues of gender digital divide and "in order to be able to prevent the adverse impact of the current trends of access and use on the women worldwide." The emerging studies indicate that "ICTs could be tools for women's active participation in improving their situations: simple access to information and improved communications can end the isolation of women and promote improved health, access to reproductive services, economic growth as well as alleviate poverty. There is evidence to indicate that the poor are willing to spend a portion of their income on ICTs if they can see economic benefits."

The report states "the issue of enabling/disabling environments for women to access and use ICTs for their individual and group empowerment appeared to be of crucial interest to Seminar participants. Participants argued that women do not feel comfortable with the Internet context, either substantive or visual, a fact that leads us to believe that access to ICTs is important, but is not in itself sufficient condition for women's appropriation of technology."

In conclusion the authors state "it is worth noting that perhaps the most important conclusion stemming from this research is that for the potential of ICTS for women's empowerment to be harnessed to the maximum, there is a need for women in developed and developing countries to share their knowledge, strategies and situations in order to better inform policy makers and develop lobbying activities on a wider scale. Women need to develop advocacy strategies to address the needs of women in access to and use of ICTs and shape policy formation. However, it is crucial that the policy-making context and process itself be understood by women, including the positions and power of various actors participating in policymaking, their interests and agendas. Research and capacity building to strengthen the knowledge base of women and the organizations are crucial elements in this endeavor and should become a priority at both the national and international levels."

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