ICT for Women Entrepreneurship in Asia-Pacific

Expert Group Meeting on ICT Policy from a Gender Perspective

Bangkok, December 18-19th, 2001

Bianca R. Tonetti Asian and Pacific Centre for Transfer of Technology (APCTT)

Facts and figures

The online female population in ASIA in 2000 accounted for 22% of Internet users

23% women Internet users in INDIA in 2000 38.7% in CHINA in 2001

By 2003 there will be 8 million women Internet users in CHINA and 2 million in INDIA

Women entrepreneurs However, out of 15,000 manage 35% of SMEs in members of IWAPIthe region, more than 1/3 Indonesia only 12% have of 95% of all enterprises e-mail accounts in Asia Pacific Only a small portion of the female population of Asian developing countries is digitally empowered

Facts and figures

Womens Internet use in Asia-Pacific and USA
Women % Internet users Total women Internet users '000s Internet users as % population Female prof.&tech. workers % of total Female literacy rate
53.1 65.1 45.1 20.5 54.5 40.8 21.0 27.6 99.0 94.3 74.5 39.4 92.8 79.5 25.4 89

COUNTRY

USA Philippines China India Thailand Indonesia Pakistan Vietnam

51.1 51.0 30.4 23.0 N/a N/a N/a N/a

83,479 76.5 6,840 115 N/a N/a N/a N/a

60.0 0.6 0.7 0.2 1.3 0.2 0.1 0.1

3 65 79 112 58 88 116 91

Source: Hafkin & Taggart, Gender, IT and Development Countries, AED for USAID, 2001.

GDI rank 1/174

Impact of IT on womens work

Automation in manufacturing/services Relocation of production New skill requirements Creation of new jobs in: INFORMATION PROCESSING BANKING INSURANCE PRINTING PUBLISHING

Women concentrated at lower skilled employment levels

Conducive policies in India and Malaysia have led to women occupying high-skilled and managerial positions

Information processing
PROJECT SITA AND WOMENS e-COOPERATIVE MITRAMANDAL - INDIA

Studies in Information Technology Applications (SITA) is a computer-skill training program for 450 women from a disadvantage background and with limited communication skills. It is sponsored by InfoDev - World Bank Global Challenge Award 2000, finalist Stockholm Challenge Award 2000, selected as Most Promising Social Enterprise 2002 Poor response of the job market to the project trainees Self-employment through the womens cooperative MitraMandal

Information processing
WOMENS e-COOPERATIVE MITRAMANDAL
Training of trainers R&D marketing and publicity

Professional Wing

Trainers and trainees use IT skills to generate income

Earning Wing

MitraMandal
Learning Wing Public/Private Organizations

Implements the learning strategy

Source: SITA.

Providers of work

Information processing
PROJECT SITA AND WOMENS e-COOPERATIVE MITRAMANDAL - INDIA
SITA trainees SITA head trainer

SITA senior instructor

Source: SITA

Information processing
SECTOR PROFILE IN ASIA

CHINA, INDIA, SINGAPORE and VIETNAM are taking large shares of the outsourcing markets in data processing

The PHILIPPINES concentrates the largest number of women workers in remote data entry

Many new jobs are in call centres and satellite offices performing back office functions

Information processing
OPPORTUNITIES FOR WOMEN IN ASIA

In INDIA over 350,000 women are expected to be working in remote data processing by 2008 Women working in data entry in BANGLADESH would earn 88% more than in local jobs

One million jobs in call centres are expected to be created in INDIA by 2007 Womens attempts to create selfemployment are frustrated by their lack of business and marketing skills

Information processing
CONDUCIVE POLICIES

Good telecom infrastructur e

IT training in and out of school

Training in marketing and business development

Clothing and textile manufacturing

RANLIYA GARMENT INDUSTRIES - SRI LANKA

Established in 1978 by Ms. Hapuarachchi. Turnover of US$23 million, workforce of 6,000. 95% are women

The company utilizes CAD/CAM machines for garment design, computerized sewing and embroidery machine and has a production capacity of 700,000 pieces per month
Technology transfer was successful thanks to an easily trainable workforce due to Sri Lankas high literacy rate The new technology enhances the productivity while meeting the requirements of international markets in terms of timeliness, pricing and quality standards

Clothing and textile manufacturing

RANLIYA GARMENT INDUSTRIES - SRI LANKA

CAD/CAM machine for garment design

Computerized sewing machine

Clothing and textile manufacturing

SECTOR PROFILE IN ASIA

Asias share of total employment in the industry was 72% in 1998

In 1995 Asia concentrated 80% of global women workers in the textile sector

China is the major employer accounting for 20% of the global workforce
Source: ILO.

Women take up 71% of the jobs in clothing in the region, with China the major employer (20%) followed by Indonesia and Thailand

Clothing and textile manufacturing

OPPORTUNITIES FOR WOMEN IN ASIA

Computer technology offers opportunities for small and medium women-owned clothing manufacturing units

In Italy women subcontractors use IT applications for the instant fashion market

Decentralization allowed by fragmentation of production particularly in garment manufacturing

Promotion of smallscale sector instrumental for the development of the sector

Clothing and textile manufacturing

CONDUCIVE POLICIES Promotion of small-scale Government to sector initiate, Entrepreneurship coordinate and development share the cost training of R&D and training schemes Dissemination of technology information

Software programming
VIJAY SOFTWARE DEVELOPERS (VSD) - INDIA

Shefali Kapoor established an education and career guidance centre in 1990, a computer academy in 1991 and VSD in 1992. Turnover of US$222,000 and workforce of 6 software developers Technology transfer was successful thanks to her post graduation in computer sciences. She entered the business when computer started to be used for back-office support, pay-roll management, inventory control etc. Advantages she found in her business are - availability of personnel possessing technical know-how - know-how could be updated on the job, and - tremendous scope of IT-enabled services

Software programming
VIJAY SOFTWARE DEVELOPERS (VSD) - INDIA

Shefali Kapoor

Software developers at work

Software programming
SECTOR PROFILE IN ASIA

The number of women programmers, designers, inventors and fixers of computers is limited in the developing world However in MALAYSIA women are 30% of IT professionals and in INDIA comprise 20% of professional jobs in the software industry

Software sector in INDIA has grown by 50% in the 1990s creating exports, domestic jobs and technical talents Customized software services are potentially attractive to small and medium sized women enterprises

Software programming
OPPORTUNITIES FOR WOMEN IN ASIA

The greatest potential for job opportunities is in the core IT sector

In INDIA and CHINA opportunities are available for women in the software industry

Network administration and maintenance are services strongly needed by private sector and government institutions

IT education and training is an area particularly suitable for women

Software programming
CONDUCIVE POLICIES

Introduction of IT at early stages of formal education

Less expensive courses on IT

Increasing the number of girls and women studying ITrelated subjects in formal schooling

State-private sector cooperation for HRD development

IT info dissemination for girls and women (career fairs)

IT training out of school

Entrepreneurship development training

Conclusions
POLICIES FOR WOMENS DIGITAL EMPOWERMENT
Infrastructure
Rural

Education and training

HRD

Regulatory environment
Impact

areas Cost of hardware, software, service Alternative sources of software Cyberkiosks and telecenters

at al levels Scholarships and reservations Business development programmes for self-employment

assessment of legislation on working women Taxes and subsidies for investment promotion in strategic sectors

Web References

http://learnlink.aed.org/Publications/Gender_Book/pdf/ Gender_Book_NoPhotos.pdf http://www.totheweb.com/Digital_Divide_White_Paper. PDF http://www.sitaa.org http://www.undp.org.my/partnership/UNDP.pdf http://www.ilo.org/public/english/dialogue/sector/techm eet/tmlfi00/tmlfi-r.pdf http://www.unu.edu/unupress/unupbooks/uu37we/uu37w e00.htm#Contents