Gender, information technology and rural development: an overview Nancy J. Hafkin Presentation to World Bank GENRD Brown Bag 12 November 2003.
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Gender, information technology and rural development:
an overview
Nancy J. Hafkin
Presentation to World Bank
GENRD Brown Bag
12 November 2003
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Starting assumption
ICTs can and do make an important contribution to agricultural and rural
development
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The challenge . . .
To make it possible for poor rural women to use ICTs in ways that improve food security, provide sustainable livelihoods and improve the quality of life in rural areas.
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Information and rural women
Information can empower rural women to participate in decision making, exchange ideas with others in developed and developing countries and improve the quality of life of the people of Africa
Hilda Munyua
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Why consider gender?
The “greatest good” Women are the majority of the population
in rural areas of most developing countries They are highly significant in food
production- “without women we all go hungry-” Kenya proverb.
Consideration of their involvement is a quantitative imperative
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The business case
Development projects that take gender into account are more likely to achieve their objectives than those that do not
(World Bank)
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Elimination of poverty
Women’s empowerment is a central precondition for the elimination of poverty
Addressing gender issues addresses poverty ICTs address the concomitants of poverty:
lack of access to education and health services Lack of productive opportunities Lack of information and isolation
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The equity argument
Gender equality is integral to a human-rights based approach to development
Third Goal of United Nations Millennium Development: promotion of gender equality and empowerment of women
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ICTs are not gender neutral
Substantial gender differences in access to, impact of ICTs
Few women users in developing countries
Most women users in developing countries part of small, educated urban elite
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Gender issues in ICT and rural development
Lack of infrastructure is a gender issue Poorer infrastructure in rural and outlying
areas More women live in rural areas than men Urban bias in connectivity deprives more
women than men of the universal right to communicate
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Social and cultural issuesWomen have lesser access than men to
those facilities that do existWomen have less time to visit public
access facilitiesFacilities may not be located where
women are comfortable frequentingHours may not be conducive to
women’s use
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Gender bias towards women and ICTsFewer women in science and
technologyAttitudes that information technology is
not for womenOther cultural aspects limit women’s
access
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Education and skillsWomen less likely than men to have the
requisite education and knowledge Literacy Language Computer skills Information literacy
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Other gender issuesFinancial resourcesContentStatistics and indicators
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Some possible applications Improved communications Improved access to informationEconomic, social and political
applications
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ICTs might fill agricultural extension gender gap
Most agricultural technology transfer agents male
Only 5% of extension services go to women
Only 15% of extension agents are women
ICTs can focus on content related to subsistence crops, food security
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Some Gender, ICT initiativesBenin MicrofinanceBankilare NigerDTR-Federation African Media Women-
Radio Listening Clubs-Nakaseke Telecentre CD-ROM-Rural
Women in Africa Ideas for Earning Money
Dimitra-www.fao.org/sd/dimitra
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More initiatives . . .
Honeybee Network-India Self-Employed Women’s Association-
IndiaGyandoot/Daar-IndiaFantsuam-northern NigeriaMoutse Community Radio Station-South
Africa
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Gender lessons from ICT projects
Technology empowers, but also affects and alters gender relations
Gender is everywhere: no project without gender issues
Women emerge from project participation with greater knowledge, self esteem
If you don’t ask for gender, you don’t get gender
Need for pro-activity to ensure participation of both men and women
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How to get women into projects: There have to be guidelines and procedures Gender-goals have to appear in objectives Competent gender analysis needs to enter
from beginning of project design Monitoring and evaluation statistics must be
disaggregated by sex All projects need to be reviewed for gender
issues
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Engendering policy Insufficient to stop at engendering projects Neither gender, nor ICT are in rural
development plans and strategies! Must be done at policy level to ensure women
included Needs to be considered in ICT policy,
agricultural development policy, technology policy and gender policy
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Ensuring women’s inclusion- how to do it? Work in the policy arena Technology will take care of some access
problems (wireless access) Inclusion of ICT training in training and
education projects for girls and women Train young women from communities at
community centers Develop role models Improve girl’s and women’s education in
Africa
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Gender, RD, ICT resources ICT for Rural Women: information list of resources, events and
organizations on how women can use ICTs to support grassroots productive enterprises.
information on productive technologies, prices, markets and small enterprise support.
appropriate technologies;
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ICT for Rural Women (cont’d)
appropriate software packages and training women how to use them.
extension services; linking new ICTs with other communications
media; strategies for scaling up and replicating pilot
projects; documenting best practices Subscribe: www.
wigsat.org
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More resources . . .
ISNAR Briefing Paper 55, Gender and agriculture in the information society
www.isnar.cgiar.org/publications/briefing/bp55.htm
2002
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CTA Observatory on gender and ICTs for agricultural and rural development
Impact of ICTs from a gender perspective Tried to identify ways in which ICTs can help
to empower rural women in ACP countries. http://www.cta.int/observatory2002/ Wageningen, The Netherlands 11 - 13
September 2002
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Priority areas for gender, ICTs and agriculture (CTA)
Mainstreaming gender. Ensuring participation of poor rural women.
Policy. Gender equity in national policy on rural issues and ICTs.
Access for rural areas.Content.Capacity building.
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