ICTs and Rural Women's Empowerment: reality or utopia? : examining the efficacy of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in the Economic Empowerment of Rural Women in Uganda

Abstract

ABSTRACT

Not since the 15th century, when Gutenberg invented the printing press has a new communication technology captured the attention, imagination and energy of the world as the Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) since the dawn of the last century. Whether or not one believes the hyperbolic claims about the triple revolution in information technology, ICTs (especially the Internet) are media with great social, economic, political and cultural scope and impact. Expectations are high among development agents and practitioners who believe ICTs can provide developing countries or marginalized communities the chance to leapfrog hurdles to their development and empowerment. Many also believe that remote and isolated communities stand a better chance to enhance their development if they can obtain access to the ICTs. Taking this assumption as a starting point, this study locates and examines the efficacy of a grassroots ICT project aimed at enhancing the economic empowerment of rural women in Uganda. The main aim of this study is to ascertain whether ICTs are actually enhancing the economic empowerment of rural women in real life or not. This evaluation focuses on the processes, practices and the outcomes of the project by analyzing the relations between the ICT tools, users and usability habits. As guidelines for the analysis, this study locates ICT (mainly digital related) theories considered propitious to the development discourse and integrates these with discourses in the new paradigms within Development Communication and Empowerment feminism themselves adopted for their relevance to the study. Based on the nature of the study, qualitative research methods were employed in collecting and analyzing data. The dominant findings suggest that many of the claims about the potential of ICTs for development are not fully supported by the reality of the rural Uganda women in this study. The analysis unravels an interaction of multiple, intricate and interconnected dynamics that combine to delimit the pragmatism of ICTs. Further analysis also reveals power conflicts within the entire hierarchy of the development discourse that have repercussions on the pragmatism of the project. Also, on examining the national ICT policy and government involvement, it is discovered that while some positive steps have been taken to propagate ICTs at the grassroots levels, what is missing is an engendered ICT policy framework that can give support and direction to the scattered ICT initiatives mushrooming in the country. At the end of the study, best practices are documented and a few recommendations made in order to empower future projects such as the ones evaluated in this study.