<p>Information and communication technologies (ICTs), which include the internet, computers, and mobile phones, have great potential to empower women worldwide. ICTs provide access to training and market information that can help women’s and men’s businesses succeed, for example.<br />
</p>
<div id="toc"><h2>Table of Contents</h2>
<ul>
<li class="toclevel-1"><a href="#w_icts-and-the-empowerment-of-women"><span class="tocnumber">1</span> <span class="toctext">ICTs and the Empowerment of Women</span></a></li>
<li class="toclevel-1"><a href="#w_limitations-to-womens-access-to-icts"><span class="tocnumber">2</span> <span class="toctext">Limitations to women’s access to ICTs</span></a></li>
<li class="toclevel-1"><a href="#w_references"><span class="tocnumber">3</span> <span class="toctext">References</span></a></li>
<li class="toclevel-1"><a href="#w_see-also"><span class="tocnumber">4</span> <span class="toctext">See also</span></a></li>
</ul>
</div><h2 id="w_icts-and-the-empowerment-of-women">ICTs and the Empowerment of Women<br /></h2>
<p>ICTs have been promoted by international organisations such as "United, the "World and the FAO as a poverty reduction strategy with the additional benefit of empowering women in developing countries. A study by the International Development Research Centre of Canada (IDRC) on ICT for poverty reduction strategies states that trends show that ICT <br />have been applied to systemic improvements important to poverty reduction such as education, health and social services delivery, broader Government transparency and accountability, helping empower citizens and build social organization <br />voice. However, existing persistent gender discrimination in labour markets, in education and training opportunities, and allocation of financial resources for entrepreneurship and business development, negatively impact women’s potential to fully utilize ICT for economic, social and political empowerment. <br /><br />
</p><p>Research and studies have highlighted the many benefits of ICT for women’s empowerment, through increasing their access to information on health, nutrition, and education. Projects founded by NGOs and international organisations include providing WAP phones to women in Senegal to help them check the price of food items and communicate with other women in the network, thereby breaking down the digital divide.<br />
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<h2 id="w_limitations-to-womens-access-to-icts">Limitations to women’s access to ICTs<br /></h2>
<p>Women’s access to ICTs is restricted in some countries. Low levels of "Literacy, limited technological access, technical expertise and the often inadequate infrastructure and high cost of connectivity in developing nations, prevent many women from taking full advantage of the opportunities offered by ICTs. <br />
</p><p>In many societies, women’s and men’s access and use of technology are rooted in behavioral, cultural, and religious traditions:<br />
</p>
<ul><li>Cultural and social attitudes are often unfavorable to women’s participation in the fields of "Women and technology, which limits their opportunities in the area of ICT.
</li><li>Women are often financially dependent on men or do not have control over economic resources, which makes accessing ICT services more difficult. For example, mobile phones are often seen as being too expensive for poor women, who depend on their husbands to pay the bills.
</li><li>Allocation of resources for education and training often favors boys and men.
</li><li>In some societies, women’s seclusion from the public arena makes access to community telecenters difficult.
</li></ul>
<h2 id="w_references">References<br /></h2>
<ul><li>"United
</li><li>UN, "Gender equality and Empowering Women through ICT", <i>Women2000 and beyond </i>(September 2005)
</li><li>UN Inter-Agency Network on Women and Gender Equality, "ICT and Gender Equality Fact Sheet" (2005). <br />
</li></ul>
<h2 id="w_see-also">See also</h2>
<ul><li>"Women
</li><li>
</li><li>"Training
</li></ul>
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