Role of ICT in Inclusive Growth of Minority Women

Dr. Tanu Dang

Assistant Professor,
Dept. of Journalism and Mass Communication,
Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti Urdu, Arabi – Farsi University, Lucknow
Abstract
Information and Communication Technologies are transforming societies and fuelling the
growth of a global economy. ICTs promote development across many dimensions. ICTs hold
tremendous promise as an enabler of social and economic development. It can help
marginalised populations to obtain, manage and disseminate knowledge and to tap into global
networks of information and services. ICTs can also expand the reach and effectiveness of
social development projects that have already yielded significant benefits in the area of
healthcare, education and environment conservation. However, despite the huge potential of
ICTs, their benefits have not been spread evenly. Indeed using ICTs effectively to foster
social inclusion and economic growth remains the key challenges faced by policy makers
today. This paper aims to explore the potential of ICT in empowering marginalized women
and also to underline the various challenges that hamper its optimum utilization for growth
and development of this segment. It also aims to inspire policy debate to ensure that women
in developing countries are equally able to harness the opportunities that ICT offers for
improving their livelihoods. It is also meant to guide the efforts of the development
community and to support policy makers in setting priorities for investments in ICT
infrastructure, skills, and education particularly to bring the marginalized women in the
development mainstream.

Keywords : Inclusive Growth, ICTs, Digital Technologies, Digital Divide, Marginalized

Women
Introduction
ICT refers to the devices used to communicate between computers. Information
communication technology (ICT) has greatly impacted and enhanced global socialization
and interactions. In fact information technology has taken over nearly every aspect of our
daily lives from commerce (buying and selling) to leisure and even culture. Today, mobile
phones, desktop computers, hand held devices, emails and the use of Internet has become a
central part of our culture and society. These technologies play a vital role in our day to day
operations. ICT has made global, social and cultural interaction very easy. We now live in an
interdependent global society, where people can interact and communicate swiftly and
efficiently. News and information can now be transmitted in minutes. Individuals can easily
stay in contact with members of their families who reside in other countries or make new
friends across the world. ICT has made a major contribution towards the elimination of
language barriers - people speaking different languages can connect and socialise or trade in
real time via the Internet.

ICT does not mean the Internet alone. It includes radios, wireless phones, computers
connected (or not) to the Internet, electronic brail writers, and a wide variety of software,
hardware, or tools such as operating systems, databases, email or office productivity
applications, networks, and so forth. They are not to be used instead of other tools, but
complement what already exists to achieve a goal, be it better food distribution or health care
access, eLearning, entertainment, education, entrepreneurship, banking or the like. In today’s
world, the most prevalent ICT device is the mobile phone. According to Statista, an estimated
62.9 percent of the world population already owned a mobile phone by 2016. Information
and Communication Technologies (ICTs) are profoundly affecting social structures. Farmers
in rural areas use mobile phones to access market prices. Poor people who do not have
formal identification documents obtain loans and credits through smart cards that store
personal information such as finger prints in an electronic format. However, ICT usage and
consumption may simply mirror pre-existing gender differences that have been engrained for
centuries and will likely need to be addressed in other areas of reform before ICT equity can
be addressed fully.
A large population of Indian women are engaged in rural or unorganised sector. Socially too
they are traditionally bound and in a disadvantageous position. Inequality in women`s access
to and participation in all communications systems, especially the ICT, limit their active
participation in the developing economy. In spite of various women centric policies of the
government, Women and girls across the globe, face discrimination in access to economic,
education, health and social services. Advances in information technology have facilitated a
global communications network that transcends national boundaries and has impacted public
policy, private attitudes and behaviour, especially in context of women. Information and
Communication Technologies permeate every aspect of our lives; from community radios in
the most rural parts of the globe to cellular phones in the hands of women and men belonging
to different communities, to computers in almost every medium to large organization. The
advancement of ICTs has brought new opportunities for knowledge sharing and knowledge
gathering for women. ICTs can provide unlimited opportunities for economic development
and social engagement through new, innovative thinking and tools. In particular, ICTs are
creating opportunities for women, enabling them to participate in political, social, and
economic processes at an unprecedented scale. The role that ICT can play in enabling gender
equity, however, is constrained by access, low literacy, and limited ICT usage by women.

Reach and Access of ICTs

Despite growing number of people who own a computer and have Internet access, most people
in developing countries have little opportunity to connect to the Internet. They are unaware of
socio-economic benefits and stimulus to good governance that ICTs can bring. In the absence of
adequate publicity of ICT in developing countries, very limited information is available to
advocate the impact of ICTs for development. Though India has a strong and fast growing IT
industry, access to ICTs remains very low, particularly in rural areas. The access to computer
facilities and internet connectivity in rural areas, most of which are still battling for electricity
connections, remains a major challenge. The Indian government has been propelling towards
“Information Age” and “Convergence” with an ultimate goal of “Internet for All”. However,
implementation has been beset with various operational, procedural, regulatory issues and
supporting legal framework that is inhibiting reach and benefit of the Internet to masses in the
country (Internet Service Providers Association of India, 2005).

However, the access to digital technologies is not only a matter of material access but also to a
large extent, a matter of skill, mental access, such as interest or attitudes and usage access such
as lacking time or opportunity to use ICT (Van Dijk and Hacker, 2003).
Thompson et al (2014) have described digital inclusion, or full access to the digital information
and communication infrastructure, as existing on three levels:

1. Physical access, including economic and political factors affecting access to ICT and ICT
infrastructures;
2. Intellectual access, including education, training, and literacies; and
3. Social access, including social and cultural factors that act as supports or barriers to ICT
access and use.

While physical access barriers have gained most attention and are being addressed with
government attention to building national digital infrastructures, the intellectual and social
divides seem to be widening (van Deursen & van Dijk, 2010). In a recent study of middle class
Indian women, Paul (2015) found that the participants were willing to use ICT but were reticent
to challenge social norms, sometimes choosing to rely on strong social ties for information
support rather than fulfilling their own needs using ICT.

Social and cultural factors limit women’s access to shared ICT facilities such as cybercafes,
or telecenters which often become meeting places for young men, and hence deter women’s
absorption and adoption of ICTs to access information and knowledge. Girls and boys often
have differing access to computer skills training in primary and secondary schools. Finally,
for the large numbers of women employed in the informal sector, there is no possibility for
using office computers to access the Internet, a possibility that is more accessible for formal
economy employees.
However, with the launch of smartphones in the Indian market and specially after affordable
data plans, the internet penetration and usage in rural and urban areas has undergone a drastic
change. As per Statista.com in terms of Facebook, India boasts the largest number of users in
the world (300 million) followed by United States (210 million) where the social media giant
originated. Singapore leads in broadband connectivity, offering a speed of 60.39 mbps which
is five times higher than the global average. The accessibility and affordability of ICT has
increased exponentially. As a result, opportunities for using ICT solutions for e - services and
for reaching all groups of the society including the poor users in remote areas and other
disadvantaged groups have changed the landscape for inclusive growth and development. In
rural areas access to telecommunications can play an important role in enhancing social and
economic development. ICT can be a pivotal tool for development if integrated successfully
in broader country and sectorial development strategies, especially in areas of education,
health and agriculture.
A new report by International Telecommunication Union (ITU) shows that hundreds of
millions of people in the world’s poorest countries are now using the internet and mobile
technology. As per Jennifer Ferguson, ITU, “Digital connectivity gives farmers access to
information on crops, when to plant their crops, weather patterns that are happening. It
provides access to online education to communities. It can make micro and small and
medium sized enterprises be able to compete with larger businesses.”

Usability and Literacy

Familiarity with basic computer use, including the ability of the user to create an email
account, communicate via email, navigate the Web, understand the basic etiquette of using
the Web, download useful and sometimes life saving information, use CDROMs and other
interactive materials, and the ability to use electronic forms of communication for distance
education are basic learning and communication skills needed for ICT usage by women as
well as men. The International Telecommunication Union, in its “ Measuring The
Information Society” Report of 2013 places India in the category of World’s ‘Least
Connected Countries’ based on a composite measure of ICT access, ICT use and ICT skills.
Further, it observed that there is clearly a gender gap in access to ICTs. The Intel Women and
Web Study 2013 found that while 8.4% of Indian women and 11.6% of Indian men are
online, there is a wide gender gap which indicates that women in India are 27% less likely to
have internet access than men. Another recent study conducted by IDRC grantee LIRNEasia
in 2017 about the gender gap in access to ICT such as internet and mobile phone found that
women in India are 46% less likely to own a mobile phone than men. Thus, the digital divide
in India is more gender centric and policy interventions need to be made to increase the
accessibility of ICTs by women in India. Unless this gender divide is addressed adequately,
there is a risk that ICT may increase existing inequalities between men and women. If
however, the gender dimensions of ICT – in terms of access and use, capacity building
opportunities, employment and potential for empowerment are explicitly identified and
addressed, ICT can be a powerful catalyst for political and social empowerment of women
and promotion of gender equality.

Women and ICTs

ICTs can contribute massively in readjusting social rules for interaction, offering new
channels for accessing and avoiding relationships as well as forming new connections. This has
significant possibilities of empowering women through networking and information exchange. In
India, rural people, especially lower castes, women and socially marginalized communities, are
facing problems of trouble-free communication and accessing information technologies. They
are not able to communicate freely and use the technologies, because of the social control and
economic factors. The digital divide between rich and poor, rural and urban, men and women,
lower caste and upper caste has created a huge gap in the accessibility of the technology. The
digital divide is often characterized by poverty, illiteracy, lack of computer literacy and language
barriers. As Buskens and Webb (2009:206) note, “We have to realize ICTs in and of themselves
do not empower, that it is the use of them which can be empowering or not.” They suggest
furthermore, “For there to be sustainable change and ‘real empowerment’, women have to be the
agents of their own processes, in charge and in control of their process of change and
empowerment.” For women all over the world, information and communication technologies
(ICT) can be leveraged for personal security, better access to education and jobs, financial
inclusion or to access basic healthcare information but this can be done only if women have
meaningful access to ICT.

The Role of Women’s use of ICTs in Sustainable Rural Poverty Reduction

Poverty is characterised by low income, high mortality rate, low calorie intake, low level of
education, vulnerability to natural disasters and exclusion from economic, social and political
processes. It’s predominant in rural areas. Poverty reduction can be done by empowering the
poor with knowledge and skills that provide them with new opportunities to improve their
livelihood.
Women around the globe play an important role in food production and distribution.
Improving women’s access to price and product information, increasing their supply chain
options for exporters and freighters, and strengthening women’s connections to any
knowledge that helps increase their competitive power and improve earnings will lead to
increased personal wealth and economic development. In Gujrat, computerized milk
collection centres with integrated electronic weights, electronic fat testing machines and
plastic card readers are ensuring fair prices for farmers who sell milk to dairy cooperatives.
These centres have increased transparency, led to faster processing, shorter queues and
immediate payment to farmers.

Empowering Women through ICTs

ICTs may give women the opportunity to be agents of their own development. Women are
not “waiting” for access to ICTs, but rather using ICTs when they are available to get around
the constraints they face in politics, society, and economy. ICT access statistics on their own,
however, are not a true indicator of women’s empowerment. Mahatma Gandhi had a deep
appreciation of the value of educating women: ‘When a man is educated, an individual is
educated; when a woman is educated, a family and a country are educated.’ Empowerment of
women in the context of knowledge societies entails building up the abilities and skills of
women to gain insight of the issues affecting them and also building up their capacity to
voice their concerns. Gaining access to new and useful knowledge through ICTs can provide
the women with information and awareness about a range of issues, topics and activities that
interest them. This new information can provide the women with mental stimulation resulting
in broadened thinking and collective action. The ICT enabled online platforms can help the
women to connect, collaborate and engage with other women of influence where they can
share experiences, discuss issues and find solutions to common issues of concern. One
approach to women’s empowerment is self-empowerment by means of local initiatives,
especially those undertaken by voluntary or charitable grassroots organizations. Such entities
are not only indispensable for providing initial support, advice, and coordination; they are
sources of technological skills and new tools and may even facilitate access to city markets
for goods that have been produced. Collaboration among these groups can also direct
workers’ newfound skills and confidence by identifying and engaging sources of funding for
pilot projects and for the creation of new businesses. Moreover, they can help secure the
cooperation and support of government agencies—an important factor for women’s inclusion
in economic and political sphere.

Women Entrepreneurship and ICT

Women have fewer opportunities to enter the labor force than men. According to Ana Maria
of the Manuela Ramos movement, “Women do not enter the labor force; rather, they expand
it through their own activities” (as cited in World development report on gender equality and
development, 2012). Entrepreneurship activities foster economic development and
empowerment of women, especially those in disadvantaged areas. Through mobile phones,
electronic platforms and networks, radio and television, blogs and internet, women
entrepreneurs are building and strengthening their own businesses. However, there is a strong
visibility of ‘gender digital divide’ wherein women entrepreneurs due to lack of literacy,
skills, access, resources and other factors are excluded from the benefits offered by ICTs.
Educating girls

Education is generally recognised as a key ingredient for all forms of development, including
economic. Girls in villages are faced with formidable barriers, including harsh living
conditions, as well as cultural and religious traditions—such as leaving home at a very young
age to get married—that may preclude or abruptly terminate their schooling. There are also
constraints for girls who remain with their families. While tuition and textbooks at the pre-
college levels are often provided at negligible cost in the more prosperous economies, they
are frequently a major financial impediment to people in developing countries. Parents
generally spend what income they have on educating sons; and even when money is available
for educating daughters, these children are often put to work for their families doing a variety
of domestic tasks.

Computer literacy and the use of the Internet as part of Information and Communication
Technologies (ICT) provide opportunities for social inclusion and a forum for
communication, planning, and collaboration. ICTs are an important tool for education
delivery (e - learning) as well as a series of products for which one needs education. Women,
particularly from marginalised segments need to be educated about the use of ICT and once
this education takes place, additional literacy and education will automatically follow.

Women’s Rights and ICT

“The advancement of women and the achievement of equality between women and men are a
matter of human rights and a condition for social justice and should not be seen in isolation as a
women’s issue. They are the only way to build a sustainable, just and developed society.
Empowerment of women and equality between women and men are prerequisites for achieving
political, social, economic, cultural and environmental security among all peoples” Beijing
Declaration and Platform for Action (1995). People around the world are using new technologies
in unprecedented ways for networking, movement building, political participation and advocacy.
Women and their organizations have pioneered strategic and empowering uses of ICT to promote
women’s rights. The Fourth World Conference on Women, as well as the five- and ten-year
reviews of the implementation of the Platform for Action in 2000 and 2005, led to massive
networking and mobilization of the women’s movement globally through ICT. The emergence of
ICT has facilitated the establishment of alternative media organizations and NGOs covering
issues that are not given adequate attention by the mainstream media and to reach out to large
sections of the population that were previously not served by the mainstream media. The Internet
has brought women’s news and views into the public domain, with countless websites targeted
specifically, if not exclusively, at women.
In recent years, e-governance has also become a priority area of many Governments resulting in
the implementation of programmes that apply ICT in delivering Government services and
promoting transparency and accountability. Beyond delivery of Government services and
information to the public using electronic means, e-governance focuses on using these new
technologies to strengthen the public voice to revitalize democratic processes, and refocus the
management, structure, and oversight of Government to better serve the public interest. E-
governance is significant for the exercise of citizenship and direct public participation in
Government activities, both of which are key elements in women’s empowerment and
achievement of gender equality. Gender-responsive governance involves the active and
meaningful participation of women in all levels of decision-making and ensuring greater
transparency and accountability in government. A virtual space can provide positive information
on violence against women and a safe place for victims and survivors of violence to discuss their
experiences or to seek help. However, for ICT to be an effective tool for advocacy on violence
against women, the needs and realities of women must be identified and addressed. This requires
capacity-building efforts for women to enable them to trust and use ICT as a medium for
communicating about their experiences and affordable access points for women must also be
provided.

Conclusion

The potential of ICT for women in developing countries is highly dependent upon their levels
of technical skill and education, and is the principal requirement for accessing knowledge
from the global pool. The sophistication of any ICT infrastructure introduced into any
environment becomes meaningless if women don't have the skills to operate the system and
use it to their best advantage. This implies that the government and the NGOs need to focus
on interventions, which lead to skill development and a rise in educational levels among
women. It could be done through imparting of technical education on the use of ICT as a part
of both formal and informal educational systems and initiating distant-learning and
vocational courses on the same.

Creating information-rich societies is a key element of poverty alleviation and sustainable

development. To empower poor people and to reduce digital divide, ICTs projects should be
developed in local language prioritizing local needs and content; be a model of low cost solution
so that poor people can replicate this model or can own or share the system; be owned and
participated by community in general; be sustainable in long terms; be able to adopt and utilize
innovative ICTs; and be supportive to local and public access points as in rural areas where
divide is the widest. Further, presently the availability of ICT is skewed towards the urban areas
while women in rural areas constitute one of the main marginalized groups. Therefore, the
government need to speed up the rural areas network implementation to improve the
participation of these women. The starting point for any successful gender-entrenched
knowledge networking approach is the development of relationships that make it easier for
women to talk about their needs, share information, and work together. This is where the
intermediary organizations can provide a platform for women to get actively involved within the
processes. These organizations have a significant role to play in managing the rapidly growing
body of knowledge about development, and in building the capacities of women communities to
transform information and knowledge into ingredients of empowerment and equitable
development through outreach and training of direct beneficiaries. The responsibility that all
actors bear is to ensure that billions of women around the world make optimum utilization
of the opportunities afforded by ICT with the full support of government and community.

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