In ICT

In developing countries, women face many cultural and logistical barriers in the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs), which are often more readily accessible to men. How can we bridge this digital divide? Can ICTs be used to address gender issues?

A major challenge is gender equality in the use of ICTs. Women tend to be 'late adopters', meaning that they often tend to take longer to adopt to and utilize new technology than men. The overall use of the Internet by women is mostly "consumerist", functioning as users, but rarely as providers or active participants. This may be linked to the perception that fields such as engineering and computer science are considered part of the "male" domain in many societies. It is reinforced by gender stereotyping in the media, poor career advice in schools, and lack of career structures within research and development to support women  in regards to pregnancy and childrearing.

Both access and ability are important parts of training programmes targeting women on the use of technology. Training programmes should also be well coordinated with policy and educational planning.

Although ICTs have become an arena where gender differences have become apparent, ICTs have also proven to be a potential means of overcoming gender disparities in society at large. Its potential to educate people through the spread of information is evident through the use of audio-visual industries, the internet and by using ICT training to empower women.

Some initiatives

The publication Gender and ICTs for Development presents a collection of case studies whereby women and their communities in developing countries have been influenced by ICTs. It shows how ICTs can have profound implications for women and men in terms of employment, education, health, environmental sustainability and community development. Five case studies illustrate the different issues in gender and ICTs for development, including e-commerce in Bhutan, entrepreneurship by women workers in China, post-war communication using radio and ICTs in Sierra Leone, sustainable fisheries production in Ghana, and information exchange related to HIV/AIDS in the Caribbean.
You may freely download the book here

The Commonwealth Of Learning (COL) and its network are working to address gender barriers encountered by women in the use of ICTs for education and training, especially with regard to open and distance learning. From 1998 to 2001, COL convened four regional expert group meetings to identify barriers in ICTs in education based on gender differences. 

Equal Access, is an international not-for-profit organization that creates positive change for large numbers of people in the developing world by providing information and education through targeted content, cost-effective technology and community engagement.
It creates customized communication strategies and outreach solutions that address issues such as basic education, teacher training, women’s empowerment, human rights, HIV/AIDS prevention, health education, governance, livelihoods training and landmine awareness. By designing and producing compelling local language audio and multi-media programs incountry, Equal Access aims to educate and catalyze behaviour change in target audiences.
Please see link for more information:
www.equalaccess.org

Other useful links:

UNESCO Bangkok ICT in Education Website - Large and popular site on ICTs and education. 

UNESCO Headquarters resources on ICT and Gender - Includes a couple of good resources with good descriptions

The Gender and Science Digital Library - A good source of more information. It is a new online collection of "gender-fair resources" in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).