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.