[quote="Lisa-Cespedes"] Question 2 opened on 6th July 2. When we talk about the role of gender in implementing ICT4D projects, what are some of the first steps that could be taken? [/quote] Hello all, I think most of the key points have been covered -- cost is a big issue for women, as we know, as well as ease of access in terms of time schedule, proximity to where women live and work, ability for women to travel safely to and from the technology location, language and training. We also know that women work a double and triple day -- productive, reproductive and community/volunteer activities -- and that one of the reasons they don't always use technologies as much as men is because they don't have the time! They also don't tend to have access to the same level of discretionary income as men. So we also need to focus on demonstrating the value of ICTs to increase production, efficiency and income, and how the information and communication fostered by ICTs will be of value to women. They need to see that it's worth the investment of time and money to learn and use ICTs before they will make that investment. It seems that women readily understand the value of mobiles for communicating with family, suppliers, and gaining market information. These are important, but limited in their value for improving livelihoods. There tends to be less understanding of how some of the other technologies can be worth the time and money needed -- we need to demonstrate how other technologies and other uses of mobiles can be valuable and beneficial as well. Best, Sophia

[quote="Lisa-Cespedes"] Question 2 opened on 6th July 2. When we talk about the role of gender in implementing ICT4D projects, what are some of the first steps that could be taken? [/quote] Hello all, I think most of the key points have been covered -- cost is a big issue for women, as we know, as well as ease of access in terms of time schedule, proximity to where women live and work, ability for women to travel safely to and from the technology location, language and training. We also know that women work a double and triple day -- productive, reproductive and community/volunteer activities -- and that one of the reasons they don't always use technologies as much as men is because they don't have the time! They also don't tend to have access to the same level of discretionary income as men. So we also need to focus on demonstrating the value of ICTs to increase production, efficiency and income, and how the information and communication fostered by ICTs will be of value to women. They need to see that it's worth the investment of time and money to learn and use ICTs before they will make that investment. It seems that women readily understand the value of mobiles for communicating with family, suppliers, and gaining market information. These are important, but limited in their value for improving livelihoods. There tends to be less understanding of how some of the other technologies can be worth the time and money needed -- we need to demonstrate how other technologies and other uses of mobiles can be valuable and beneficial as well. Best, Sophia

Dear all, I'm finding this discussion very informative and providing a lot of food for thought. I don't have a great deal to add to what's already been said, except to perhaps reinforce what I think Jan was getting at, by saying we can look at evaluation of ICT projects through a set of layers or nested circle. The largest outside circles would look at the overall effects on women's status in society -- including some of the things Jennifer mentioned. Is the use of the technology increasing women's empowerment and status in some way. Other circles would look at their participation in decision making around the technology and whether it increases their ability to make decisions, have choices and play a leadership role in their community, etc. And we can move farther down to look at issues such as whether women are able to provide for their own and their families' wellbeing and income generation needs as a result of use of the technology. But to look specifically at gender, ICT and livelihoods, the consensus seems to be that the effects of the global economic crisis are particularly hard on women. They are hard on women who are employed in vulnerable manufacturing sectors. They are also hard on women who are finding they have to support more people on a small income and/or small plot of land. Since it is known that they are at the center of poverty reduction and crisis management strategies, one way to get donors interested in the concept could be to focus on how women's food production and income generation is improved and increased as a result of the use of ICTs. The role of ICTs in improving food security, decreasing poverty and supporting crisis management as part of achieving the MDGs could be a way to get donors and governments to take notice. Cheers, Sophia

[quote="Lisa-Cespedes"] Question 1- Opened 5th July 1. What is the importance of considering gender issues when working in ICT4D rural and agricultural projects and programmes? What are the key gender issues? [/quote] When WIGSAT did an in-depth review of 6 infoDev projects several years back, we found several common themes which cut aross regions: 1) There is no such thing as a "gender-neutral" technology -- when technologies are implemented without taking into account relations between men and women and differing access to resources and training between men and women, the technologies will benefit one gender over another, and may have quite strong negative effects on one gender. 2) "Gender is everywhere" - in basically all projects, some kind of gender (and other socioeconomic issue) emerges, in terms of inequitable access to economic resources, training, knowledge about the technology, ability to travel to the place where technologies are located, or ability to afford cost of access, etc. 3) We also found that a project or intervention that focuses on women to the disadvantage of men, can cause anger among men in the community. They can express this anger in different ways, either directly at women or through lack of support for sustaining the activity. Finally, the societal context is of overriding importance to ensure that both women and men participate in and benefit from the technology. Technologies have varying value to different members of society, depending on their respective roles in society, their access to resources, their decision making power, and how different social forces mold the technology. Different groups in society are affected differently, according to their gender, socioeconomic position, race, language, and location (both geographical and socioeconomic) of the technology. More information on the results of this review is posted at www.wigsat.org/node/11. Best, Sophia

Hello all, My name is Sophia and I'm pleased to be joining this discussion. I am the founding Director of WIGSAT which used to focus on Women in Global Science and Technology and now has shifted its focus to Women and Technology in Society. WIGSAT works in both ICT4D and in technology for development, all with a gender perspective. I have experience in both areas, mostly in terms of conceptual analysis, policy analysis and networking around these issues. My areas of interest are how ICTs can contribute to women's empowerment and gender equality - that is, how ICTs can improve women's lives, increase their knowledge and improve their options for choice and taking action in their lives, as well as how ICT can support women's income generation and livelihoods. This can take place directly, through access to markets, information on seed and agricultural techniques, etc. It can also occur through the use of technologies to increase the value of products and the efficiency and output of small enterprises. The book I co-edited with Nancy Hafkin, Cyberella or Cinderella: Empowering Women in the Knowledge Society looks at these different aspects of ICT4D. I look forward to exploring the possibilities in these areas further with you over the next coming weeks.