Information Society Watch

2001, Vikas Nath, KnowNet.org Initiative

Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) are for everyone and women have to be equal beneficiaries to the advantages offered by the technology and the products and processes which emerge from their use. The benefits accrued from the synergy of knowledge and ICT need not be restricted to the upper strata of the society but have to freely flow to all segments of women. The gamut of areas in which ICT can put greater control in the hands of women is wide and continuously expanding, from managing water distribution at the village-level to standing for local elections and having access to lifelong learning opportunities. ICT in convergence with other forms of communication have the potential to reach those women who hitherto have been not been reached by any other media, thereby empowering them to participate in economic and social progress, and make informed decision on issues that affect them. The paper explores the avenues created by ICT-enabled networking processes for women in the areas of empowerment and governance and the hindrances faced in the engendering of these processes, and then goes on to suggest ways to ensure that greater benefits accrue to women in a distributed manner (Author).

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