Women and Empowerment

1. Women and Empowerment Alice Tripp Tirna Singh November 20, 2012

2. Background • Women’s Empowerment • Women are empowered when they have the capacity and confidence to change their lives, their families, and their societies • The goal of women’s empowerment is to achieve this end • Women and technology • Challenges: females make up 2/3 of the world’s illiterate population, sociocultural barriers to the education of women in S&T fields, lack of time due to domestic obligations • Can ICTs contribute to women’s empowerment? Can ICTs be disempowering to women?

3. Women and Development • Why is female empowerment important for development? • When 10% more girls go to school a country's GDP increases by 3% • When women have the same amount of land as men there is over a 10% increase in crop yield • In sub-Saharan Africa, agricultural productivity could be raised by as much as 20% by allocating a bigger share of agricultural input to women • When income is in the hands of the mother, the survival probability of a child increases by about 20% in Brazil, and in Kenya, a child will be about 17% taller Figures from USAID and the World Bank

4. Engendered Technology • In your opinion, is technology engendered? If so, how? • "Existing power relations in society determine the enjoyment of benefits from ICTs; hence these technologies are not gender neutral." -Anita Gurumurthy • "Engendering ICTs is not merely about greater use of ICTs by women. It is about transforming the ICT system." - Anita Gurumurthy

5. Engendered Technology Technology and its application • Presentation and access to technology • Computer labs • Simple forms of technology • Domestic activities • Community services • Small businesses

6. What’s currently being done? • Millenium Development Goals • gender equality • end hunger and poverty • Anita Gurumurthy • Research Consultant at the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore • Revi Sterling • Director of Information and Communication Technologies for Development (ICTD), ATLAS Institute, University of Colorado at Boulder • GRACE (Gender Research in Africa into ICTs for Empowerment) • http://www.GRACE-Network.net/

7. Book Review • What are some of the barriers to "women's uptake of technology"? • In your opinion, why do you think "that ICT and gender is already entrenched as a soft issue"? Or, why don't you think it is a soft issue?

8. Case Studies • 3 | Considering ICT use when energy access is not secured: a case study from rural South Africa • By Jocelyn Muller • 6 | When a gender-blind access policy results in discrimination: realities and perceptions of female students at the University of Zimbabwe • By BuhleMbambo-Thata, Elizabeth Mlambo, and Precious Mwatsiya • 13 | ICTs as agents of change: a case of grass-roots women entrepreneurs in Uganda • By Susan Bakesha, Angela Nakafeero, and Dorothy Okello

9. Chapter 3: Considering ICT use when energy access is not secured: a case study from rural South Africa Who: local women Where: Lucingweni, Eastern Cape, South Africa What: “Local women took part in a process designed to capture their knowledge and values in relation to their energy and ICT priority needs and effect a shift in thinking, intended to reinforce the meaningful empowerment of women who are often relegated to subordinate positions in society.” Outcome: “It became evident that the renewable energy programme in Lucingweni has never really benefited the rural households in the manner described or anticipated, particularly not in relation to the basic needs expressed by the women we spoke with.”

10. Chapter 6: When a gender-blind access policy results in discrimination: realities and perceptions of female students at the University of Zimbabwe Who: women students Where: University of Zimbabwe, Harare, Zimbabwe What: “The research examined the extent to which online learning empowered women graduate students. Prior to the research, the researchers has observed that the majority of the students at work at the computers in the library and in computer laboratories were male. This study was undertaken to gain an understanding of why this was the case.” Outcome: “…mainstreaming access to ICTs and learning resources may not address women’s needs.” -Programme of education -Computer laboratory exclusively for women

11. Chapter 6: When a gender-blind access policy results in discrimination: realities and perceptions of female students at the University of Zimbabwe

12. Chapter 13: ICTs as agents of change: a case of grass-roots women entrepreneurs in Uganda Who: local women Where: Nakaseke, Buwama, and Nabweu, Uganda What: “Our research team set out to explore the factors that facilitates the uptake and utilization of information provided on a CD-ROM entitled Rural Women of Africa: Ideas for Earning Money by women entrepreneurs.” Outcome: “The study revealed that although the women used the information to improve and expand their businesses, most of them could not make significant progress as they spent much of the proceeds on household needs and their children’s welfare.”

13. Other examples Jordan • How can ICTs be used to empower female university students in Jordan in their stance against gender-based violence? • Forums for communication, networking, solidarity Asia-Pacific • Women's Electronic Network Training Workshop • Assist NGOs to use ICTs, "enabling the enabler"

14. Other examples Latin America • Guatemala: Teaching women entrepreneurs about ICTs through a program called "Women and Local Development" • Ecuador: AMJUPRE is teaching women to overcome their fear of technology and use it to improve their situations

15. Negatives Identity Theft In 2000, in India, a man was found guilty of assuming the identity of his boss' wife and impersonating her in chat rooms where he encouraged others to send harassing calls Pornography Exposure to increased and more violent pornography Call Centers Women are put into low positions in ICT-based industries where they have little power and are vulnerable to exploitation and harassment

16. Big Questions • How is technology engendered? • In the developing world? • In the developed world? • Can ICTs contribute to women’s empowerment? • Can ICTs be disempowering to women? • What changes need to be made to further empower women? • culture • greater technology