ICT gender indicators for the Arab region United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia Capacity-Building Workshop on Information Society Measurements: Household and Business Surveys Cairo, 20-21 June 2007 ICT gender indicators for the Arab region Information and Communication Technology Division

Importance of disaggregated ICT statistics (1) Build ICT gender related data – practically inexistent today Provide policy makers with information on the status of men/women vis-a-vis ICT Set national and international policies according to gender statistics Define priorities in programmes and initiatives Measure the gender gap in the digital divide between developed and developing countries

Importance of disaggregated ICT statistics (2) Ascertain through measurement if men and women are benefiting from ICT and its tools Take corrective measures at national and international level. Develop specific project for bridging gender gap in digital divide

Areas for gender disaggregated statistics on ICT Internet access and usage Content Employment Education ICT policy Participation in ICT decision making Differential impact of ICTs Participation in ICT projects

WSIS and Gender in ICT

Geneva-Declaration of Principles Article 2: Our challenge is to harness the potential of information and communication technology to promote the development goals of the Millennium Declaration, namely the eradication of extreme poverty and hunger; achievement of universal primary education; promotion of gender equality and empowerment of women; reduction of child mortality; improvement of maternal health; to combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases; ensuring environmental sustainability; and development of global partnerships for development for the attainment of a more peaceful, just and prosperous world. We also reiterate our commitment to the achievement of sustainable development and agreed development goals, as contained in the Johannesburg Declaration and Plan of Implementation and the Monterrey Consensus, and other outcomes of relevant United Nations Summits. Article 12: We affirm that development of ICTs provides enormous opportunities for women, who should be an integral part of, and key actors, in the Information Society. We are committed to ensuring that the Information Society enables women's empowerment and their full participation on the basis on equality in all spheres of society and in all decision-making processes. To this end, we should mainstream a gender equality perspective and use ICTs as a tool to that end.

Geneva-Plan of Action Article 11(g): Capacity Building: Work on removing the gender barriers to ICT education and training and promoting equal training opportunities in ICT-related fields for women and girls. Early intervention programmes in science and technology should target young girls with the aim of increasing the number of women in ICT careers. Promote the exchange of best practices on the integration of gender perspectives in ICT education. Article 19(a) E-employment: Encourage the development of best practices for e-workers and e-employers built, at the national level, on principles of fairness and gender equality, respecting all relevant international norms. Article 23(h): Cultural Diversity: Strengthen programmes focused on gender-sensitive curricula in formal and non-formal education for all and enhancing communication and media literacy for women with a view to building the capacity of girls and women to understand and to develop ICT content. Article 28(d): Follow up and implementation: Gender-specific indicators on ICT use and needs should be developed, and measurable performance indicators should be identified to assess the impact of funded ICT projects on the lives of women and girls.

Tunis Commitment Article 23: We recognize that a gender divide exists as part of the digital divide in society and we reaffirm our commitment to women’s empowerment and to a gender equality perspective, so that we can overcome this divide. We further acknowledge that the full participation of women in the Information Society is necessary to ensure the inclusiveness and respect for human rights within the Information Society. We encourage all stakeholders to support women’s participation in decision-making processes and to contribute to shaping all spheres of the Information Society at international, regional and national levels.

Tunis Agenda Article 114: The development of ICT indicators is important for measuring the digital divide. We note the launch, in June 2004, of the Partnership on Measuring ICT for Development, and its efforts: to develop a common set of core ICT indicators; to increase the availability of internationally comparable ICT statistics as well as to establish a mutually agreed framework for their elaboration, for further consideration and decision by the UN Statistical Commission. to promote capacity building in developing countries for monitoring the Information Society. to assess the current and potential impact of ICTs on development and poverty reduction. to develop specific gender-disaggregated indicators to measure the digital divide in its various dimensions.

Arab Women in Information Society Many regional conferences and meetings since 2003: Regional conferences in 2003, 2005 ESCWA: Many training workshops Arab Women Organization: 3 meetings for the Arab Women Working Group on ICT The aims of these activities are : to empower Arab women through ICT to improve Women status in ICT sector

ESCWA Study on Women in Information Society : Main Findings (1) Some Arab countries launched special programmes for the integration of women in the Information Society: Egypt, Syria, Morocco, Jordan, and Bahrain. Strategies in most of the Arabic countries are still weak in integrating women's issues in ICT. The proportion of young women in higher education is relatively acceptable in a number of Arab States. As the level of education goes higher, the proportion of women in education decreases.

ESCWA Study on Women in Information Society: Main Findings (2) Number of women at decision-making levels in ICT sector is very little compared to other sectors The proportion of female workers in the business sector is very low. Women are still operating in the routine and medium level works in the business sector Most of the information available on the Arab woman usage of ICT does not clarify their use as compared with men use

Proposed Gender Indicators (1) Women empowerment through ICT: Female use of the Internet Female possession of personal computers Female access to mobile phones/telephone lines Proportion of females (aged 16+) using the internet for: email, purchasing/ordering goods or services, interacting with government, finding information for research and studies, using banking or other financial services, trading, distance learning, entertainment, other… Proportion of females (aged 16+) accessing the internet from: home, work, place of education, Internet café, other…

Proposed Gender Indicators (2) Women Education in ICT: Female adult literacy rate (% ages 15 and older) Female net enrolment ratios in primary, secondary and tertiary education Proportion of female enrolment in higher education in an ICT field of study Proportion of female graduates in higher education in an ICT field of study Proportion of female enrolment in ICT training centres

Proposed Gender Indicators (3) Women in the ICT sector: Labour force female participation rate (% ages 15-64) Unemployment (% of female labour force) Female staff in ICT sector (private and public) Female staff in ICT decision-making positions Growth of female employment in the ICT sector