Empowering Women in Developing Countries ICT Applications and Benefits

There are several challenges that are currently plaguing the issues of women’s rights in the world. ICT is a major element in personal growth and development of both men and women. It is however observed that the involvement of women in ICT sector is highly inadequate, particularly in the developing nations and there is a ‘gender divide’ resulting in lower numbers of women accessing and using ICT compared with men. At the same time, particularly for women, it could be a highly effective tool in improving their knowledge, staying informed and earning a living as well as reducing their sense of isolation, helping acquire new skills, actively participating in national and global dialogues, learning about taboo subjects (such as reproductive health and HIV) and making them feel safer and more in touch with family and friends, and also strengthening their self-esteem. ICT would also helps them improve ability to express themselves, speak in public and engage with adults and other decision makers to negotiate their needs and rights. Eradicating the gap and educating women through ICT is a step that will largely set this entire movement rolling down the hills to crash and break the wall of negligence. This book is an extended and updated version of the papers presented at the International Conference on ‘Empowering Women in Developing Countries through Information and Communication Technologies’ organised by the Centre for Science and Technology of the Non-Aligned and Other Developing Countries (NAM S&T Centre) at Waknaghat (Solan, HP), India during 1-3 June 2013 in association with the JUIT Centre for Women Studies at Jaypee University for Information Technology (JUIT), the Non-Government Organization of Rural Education and Development - India (READ-India) and the Women in Development (IWID). 46 specialists from 20 countries, namely, Angola, Egypt, The Gambia, Indonesia, Iraq, Kenya, Malawi, Malaysia, Mauritius, Myanmar, Nepal, Nigeria, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Togo, Uganda, Venezuela, Vietnam and the host country India participated in this International Conference. This publication brought out by the NAM S&T Centre includes 19 articles and focuses on efforts being made by various governments to effectively leverage Information and Communication Technology (ICT) for women empowerment and betterment of qualities of their lives. It is hoped that this book will be valuable for disseminating the information and knowledge about how the developing countries engage in the issues of “gender divide” with various policies, approaches and programmes, and would help the policy makers in accelerating the process of empowering women through ICT.