Gender and Public Access ICT

Abstract

Studies show that due to systemic gender biases in the use of and access to ICTs and their applications, as well as socio-cultural norms that position computing as a predominantly male activity, women in developing countries are more likely than men to face barriers to reaping the benefits of ICTs for their personal and community development. Gender analysis “asserts that power relations in class, race, ethnicity, age, and geographic location interact with gender, producing complex and hidden inequalities that affect social change” (APC WNSP, 2005). A review of recent literature on gender and ICT, and the results of the Landscape Study, suggest that there are both personal and collective benefits to women through the use of ICT, as well as barriers that prevent marginalized groups in society, and women in particular, from realizing these benefits. What are these barriers? What benefits does ICT offer women? Throughout this chapter, we will explore these barriers and benefits through examples drawn from our findings in the Landscape Study, embracing a cultural approach in analyzing the ways in which women transform their lives through the use of ICT, with a particular emphasis on ICT use through public access venues.