The Gender Digital Divide in Rural Pakistan - To Measure and to Bridge it
Project Partners
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Background
The importance of information and communication technologies (ICTs) to economic development has been recognized widely during the last decade. The development promises made by the significant growth of ICTs are challenged by the so-called digital divide. The ‘digital divide’ refers to the drastic differences in levels of ICT access between different population groups. While in Pakistan during the past years, the number of mobile phone users and computer applications has been tremendously increased, rural areas are significantly underserved. A significant but largely invisible aspect of the digital divide is the gap in access to and use of ICTs between women and men, girls and boys. For Pakistan, the assessment for gender-specific ICT use and its impact on development has yet to be made.The specific objectives of the project are to measure the extent of the gender digital divide in rural Pakistan, to raise awareness about the issue and to draw lessons for appropriate technology and governance conducive for improved access of women and girls to ICTs. The research techniques include gender specific FGD’s, structured questionnaires and key informant interviews. Dissemination of the research is an important focus and will be done through a seminar series, academic presentations, trainings, policy briefs, newspaper articles etc.
Measuring the Gender Digital Divide in Rural Pakistan
ICTs for Women’s Empowerment – Learning from Best Practices
Dissemination
1. Panel "Bridging the Subcontinent’s Gender Digital Divide" during 2007 10th SDC "Sustainable Solutions: A Spotlight on South
Asian Research"
2. SDPI seminar "Information and Communication Technologies for
Women's Empowerment" on August 11, 2008
3. Study group meeting "Women and ICTs: Exclusion or
Empowerment?" on August 13, 2009 (Click to view Programme) 
4. Stakeholder Workshop "Women And ICTs: Bridging The Gender Digital Divide" August 21, Islamabad, 2009
5. Press Briefing Islamabad Press Club, August 24, 2009
6. Training Workshop: "Empowering Women Through Information and Communication Technologies" December 16 – 17, 2009
7. Panel "Women and ICTs in South Asia: Exclusion or Empowerment?" during 2009 SDPI's 12th SDC "Fostering Sustainable Development in South Asia Responding to Challenges"
8. Awareness Raising Workshop: "Role of Information and Communication Technologies in Women's Development" April 29, 2010
Related Links
For further details please contact:
Nazima Shaheen
Research Associate
nazima@sdpi.org
or
Karin Astrid Siegmann
Visiting Research Fellow (SDPI)
siegmann@iss.nl
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