Mainstreaming gender and ICTs for development

Geetha N. Bhardwaj “Gender equity is based on the principle of shared power. It is about incorporating the strengths of men and women, and seamlessly integrating their concerns at all stages in all development projects.” A basic understanding of gender concepts can inform analysis of situations in organisations and in communities, as well as efforts and programmes for equality. In this article an attempt is being made to look at two specific intersections, namely, gender and development, and gender and Information Communication Technologies (ICTs). This is mainly because of an abiding conviction that gender is the most pervasive form of social inequality, and without gender equality, the levelling off of economic and social inequalities leading to overall development will continue to be a myth. Secondly, ICTs are often seen as a primary tool for achieving the MDGs, and hence it is important to see how ICTs can be used for encouraging a culture of gender equality. Understanding gender At an analytical level, gender is a useful concept that can help understand how men and women are socialised to conform to specific and distinct rules of behaviour, and perform certain specific roles, activities and professions. The term ‘sex’ is used to differentiate between the physical attributes of males and females that make them universally unique in some respects, and this is associated with their reproductive roles. This does not change across time, place, cultures and societies. What do change are the patterns of socialisation and the roles that men and women are trained to perform, outside of the reproductive sphere. Religious customs, cultural practices, occupations of men and women thus vary from time to time, from one country to another and even one locality to another. This changing aspect of male and female lives, defined by socially determined standards for ‘masculine’ and ‘feminine’ behaviour is referred to as ‘Gender’.The socialisation of young men and women begins very early in life – the lessons of how to be ‘good’ men and ‘good’ women are learnt from parents, relatives, teachers, peers and from the community at large. Gendered division of work and its implications Men and women are thus prepared and primed for the roles that they are to perform, and inherent in the structures and in these socially determined roles is the unequal access to and control over economic resources, power and status, knowledge and capacity building. Gendered division of labour in productive, reproductive and community spheres are seen to have historically tipped the scales in the favour of men, with the women having to take on the triple burden of all the reproductive (unpaid) and much of the productive (lower paid or informal) and community (for instance care giving, relationship-building) work. Women’s workload often leaves them with no time off, can prevent them from participating in productive work, or development projects. When they do participate, extra time on productive work means less time for reproductive tasks. Since only paid work is recognised as an economic contribution, women’s work becomes invisible. This ‘triple burden’ leads to Time Poverty, and women are not in a position to spare time to gather knowledge about themselves or about their families and occupations, and thus they are unable to realise their true productive potential. Sometimes women are kept out of many development activities on the grounds that they need to be protected – and this may manifest in location-specific restrictions or time-specific restrictions. As a result, women are unable to participate in many educational, professional, skill building or recreational activities that they would consider important for their own development, growth and participation/contribution. Gender and development Development projects typically address either women’s practical gender needs (PGNs) or strategic gender interests (SGNs), or both. While the former will help them attend to immediate concerns, such as meeting day-to-requirements of water and food, it will also free them to some extent to plan for the strategic concerns that could begin to alter their status and situation. Examples of SGNs include access to livelihoods and capacity building for participation in local governance. The positioning of development projects around these needs can determine the extent of empowerment. Theoretical approaches to women in development Moser (1996) categorises five main policy approaches based on the gendered definition of roles, and the practical and strategic needs it meets. The Welfare approach is the earliest development approach between1950-70. Women are seen as passive beneficiaries of development. It places primacy on the reproductive role of women and seeks to meet PGNs in that role. The Equity approach, evolved in the UN Women’s decade, its purpose is to gain equity for women, who are seen as active participants in development. It recognises the triple role and seeks to meet SGNs through direct state intervention giving political and economic autonomy, and reducing inequality with men. It challenges women’s subordinate position. It is criticised as Western feminism, is considered threatening, and is unpopular with governments. Other conservative versions of the equity approach, such as the Anti-poverty approach, recognised the productive role of women, and sought to meet the PGN to earn an income, particularly through small-scale income-generating projects. Similarly, the focus of the Efficiency approach is to ensure that development is more efficient and effective through women’s economic contribution, with participation often equated with equity. Women are seen entirely in terms of their capacity to compensate for declining social services by extending their working day. This is a popular approach. The Empowerment approach seeks to empower women through greater self-reliance. It challenges extant exploitative structures and focuses on the building of new political, economic and social structures. It recognises the triple role, and seeks to meet SGNs indirectly through bottom-up mobilisation around PGNs to confront oppression. These frameworks provide some indication of how approaches to women’s role in development can inform the formulation of policy, and the design and implementation of programmes around it. The next part of this article looks at gender in ICT. It explores how interventions can be formulated so as to challenge existing models of gender relations and open up empowering possibilities for women in collaborating with men for development. Gender and ICTs It is said that information is power. The acquisition and propagation of relevant information can empower communities in a myriad ways for example by enabling them to harness resources, make choices, and bargain for better and fairer conditions. In its transforming nature and form, ICTs can ensure equal participation, in active terms, of men and women in all the activities. Given the truly non-hierarchical and democratic potential of ICTs, predominance can be given to the men just as well as women, children, older people and other marginalised sections in the design, development, implementation and evaluation of information projects in the community. Potential uses of ICTs for gender equality Information can serve to explode myths, dispel doubts and showcase roadmaps and best practices that communities can use. It can help networking and advocacy to inform and influence policy. It can provide a platform for sharing knowledge about various services, as well as for monitoring the efficacy of those services. ICTs can be used for packaging and disseminating tools and techniques for engendering the development process through collection of gender disaggregated data, creation of gender-sensitive budgets, and conducting of cost benefit analysis for men as well as women. How can we recognise an ICT intervention that is successful in integrating gender equity? Some indicators are listed below: In a gender sensitive project, women and men together decide, prioritise and act on the ‘burning questions’ or priorities of the community. Women and men both together select the best suitable technology that will meet their needs, constraints and output requirements. The division of tasks is based on the skills, capacities and interests of people and break stereotyped gender division of roles wherever necessary. Men and women together own, decide, finance, and train. Governance structures have equal representation of different stakeholders, and processes are democratic. Meetings, trainings and other key events, as well as means of communication are suited to the schedules and lifestyles of men and women. Processes are participatory, inclusive and enabling. They include, value and enhance the capacities of women as well as men. For instance, Less articulate persons have opportunities to share their views, which are factored into decision-making processes. Information access points are located in friendly and safe spaces. There is adequate and relevant know-how and capacity building on the use of the new technology. There are support structures for facilitating and counselling men and women through the change process. Security issues like privacy and safety are addressed. Factors that can bring gender projects down We need to watch out for factors that may affect the chances of success in ICT projects. Some are listed below: Looking at women’s issues from the males’ point of view; deciding what the women need, on their behalf. Encouraging participation without decision – ‘you participate, I decide’. Locating the ICT tool in a space that is not accessible to women either because of social norms, or timings, or distance. Not meeting the training needs of women. Moving too fast on the project – time bound targeted approaches sometimes ignore the multiple commitments of the women. Not ensuring equal representation of men and women in critical stages of the project. Not acknowledging and capitalising on women’s unique skills like organising, managing, communicating and articulating, relationship building, creative thinking, aesthetic sense, or not encouraging men to be caring, nurturing, entertaining, artistic. Using language that is difficult for some participants to understand. In conclusion, gender equity is based on principle of shared power. It is about incorporating the strengths of men and women, and seamlessly integrating their concerns at all stages in all development projects . References Moser, Caroline (1996). Moser’s Gender Planning Framework: Adapted from Training Workshop for Trainers in Women, Gender and Development, June 9-21, 1996, Programme Handbook, Royal Tropical Institute, The Netherlands. Author: Geetha N. Bhardwaj is Knowledge Coordinator-Gender, at OneWorld South Asia.

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