1. Gender, information technology and the digital divide in Africa and other developing areas Nancy J. Hafkin, at the The World Bank 28 March 2001

2. PREM Gender and Development Group 2 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

3. PREM Gender and Development Group 3 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

4. PREM Gender and Development Group 4 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

5. PREM Gender and Development Group 5 Access: not just a connected computer... literacy education technical literacy costs language culture and society information use skills

6. PREM Gender and Development Group 6 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

7. PREM Gender and Development Group 7 “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

8. PREM Gender and Development Group 8 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

9. PREM Gender and Development Group 9 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

10. PREM Gender and Development Group 10 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

11. PREM Gender and Development Group 11 Women as % of Internet users, Africa

12. PREM Gender and Development Group 12 Increases in % women’s use last year

13. PREM Gender and Development Group 13 Some large absolute numbers Numbers of women Internet users –Brazil1.075 Million –China6.840 Million –Russia4.560 Million Expected by 2003 –8 million women users in China –2 million women users in India

14. PREM Gender and Development Group 14 Deepest of the digital divide...

15. PREM Gender and Development Group 15 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

16. PREM Gender and Development Group 16 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

17. PREM Gender and Development Group 17 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

18. PREM Gender and Development Group 18 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

19. PREM Gender and Development Group 19 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

20. PREM Gender and Development Group 20 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

21. PREM Gender and Development Group 21 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

22. PREM Gender and Development Group 22 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

23. PREM Gender and Development Group 23 IT-enabled businesses Grameen Phones STD booths (India) teleboutiques (Senegal) low capital, skills requirements good telecommunications infrastructure not always needed links with ICT policy

24. PREM Gender and Development Group 24 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

25. PREM Gender and Development Group 25 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

26. PREM Gender and Development Group 26 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

27. 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