There is mixed evidence on the empowering or disempowering potential of ICTs for women. New technologies clearly seem to have the potential of removing women-specific barriers to participation and organisation and leveling centuries-old gender inequality. The gender gap in access and usage, however, reveals that women are not able to tap the empowering potential of new technologies at par with men. The gendered socio-cultural and economic environment in which ICTs are embedded as well as the gendered design and regulatory framework of the new technologies obstruct ICTs from unfolding their empowering potential for women.
This document looks at case studies that highlight the challenges of implementing gender-sensitive ICT initiatives in Africa and India. It argues that not only are ICTs not addressing the gendered mindsets of men and women, they even risk entrenching gender inequalities. Recent initiatives of the private sector in India and Africa equally fail to address the underlying reasons for the ICT gender gap. Female digital literacy is not enough for transformative empowerment that would challenge traditional gender roles and shift the balance of power within our societies. If ICTs are to empower women, they have to be designed in a manner that suits female skills and interests, and must be embedded in a regulatory framework that favours female access and usage. Only if ICTs fulfill this ambitious agenda will their potential
for women empowerment unfold.