Roshila Pillay The Internet could prove to be an indispensable crutch to assist women on their walk to economic empowerment. It is an important component in alleviating poverty and spurring economic growth. Women account for a paltry 17% of South AfricaOs 700 000 Internet users, according to a study by Gillian Marcelle, chair of the African Information Society Initiative. This despite the fact that South Africa is on the cutting edge of the cyber revolution, ranking among the worldOs top 20 countries in terms of Internet growth and usage. In South Africa the rate of poverty among households headed by females is 60%. The disparity between this and the 31% rate among male-headed households is shocking. Zohra Khan, one of the authors of a book on information and communication technologies (ICTs) entitled Net Gains: African Women Take Stock of Information and Communication Technologies, says in addition to suffering from OtechnophobiaO, women donOt view ICTs as a priority. OBecause of the patriarchal nature of the society in which we live, women often do not have access to ICTs in the same way as men do.O The unequal division of labour within households where women are often responsible for meeting the basic needs of their families, such as putting food on the table, is a severe time constraint. OThis limits the time they have to equip themselves with new skills. ICTs would actually make it easier for them to do what they do and even better,O says Khan. ICTs encompass all technologies, systems, services and tools that make information storage, retrieval, communication and dissemination possible. The online possibilities are limitless. The Net has provided numerous job opportunities, the most exciting being e- commerce. Women participating in the information economy can start their own e- business essential in eradicating poverty so that people can afford basic dietary and medicinal condiments. Thembeka Nkamba-Van Wyk tells of how the Internet has improved the production process and product development in her company, Talking Beads. A simple illustration of this is the way in which the women she employs mostly illiterate are able to use the computer because the keyboard simplifies the process for them.
In a country where our social services are severely lacking, ICTs enable easier access to health information by reaching rural areas. In this way teachers can be trained to educate people about their health. The World Health Organisation says that exchanging information contributes substantially to good health. Twenty-three million of the worldOs 36-million Aids sufferers live in sub-Saharan Africa. Improving poor communications about the disease would help prevent new infections. OThe capacity to acquire and communicate knowledge is the foundation of development,O stresses KY Amoako, the executive secretary for the Economic Commission for Africa. In Net Gains Amoako says one of the most positive aspects of ICTs is the contributions they make in improving communications. This also improves the ability of marginalised groups to participate in governance Oacross the spectrum from local, to national, to global, where the voice of the south, especially of women, is still far too weakO, says Amoako. To shake our patriarchal past and fast- track our way to gender equality and the benefits that go with it, ICTs are the modern solution to balancing the equity scales.
Net Gains: African Women Take Stock of Information and Communication Technologies, compiled by Colleen Lowe Morna and Zohra Khan, can be obtained from WomensNet on (011) 838 6943