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ICT for Women Entrepreneurship in Asia-Pacific

ICT for Women Entrepreneurship in Asia-Pacific. Expert Group Meeting on ICT Policy from a Gender Perspective Bangkok, December 18-19th, 2001 Bianca R. Tonetti Asian and Pacific Centre for Transfer of Technology (APCTT). Facts and figures.

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ICT for Women Entrepreneurship in Asia-Pacific

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  1. ICT for Women Entrepreneurship in Asia-Pacific Expert Group Meeting on ICT Policy from a Gender Perspective Bangkok, December 18-19th, 2001 Bianca R. Tonetti Asian and Pacific Centre for Transfer of Technology (APCTT)

  2. Facts and figures • The online female population in ASIA in 2000 accounted for 22% of Internet users • 23% women Internet users in INDIA in 2000 • 38.7% in CHINA in 2001 • By 2003 there will be 8 million women Internet users in CHINA and 2 million in INDIA • Women entrepreneurs manage 35% of SMEs in the region, more than 1/3 of 95% of all enterprises in Asia Pacific • However, out of 15,000 members of IWAPI-Indonesia only 12% have e-mail accounts • Only a small portion of the female population of Asian developing countries is digitally empowered

  3. Facts and figures Women’s Internet use in Asia-Pacific and USA Source: Hafkin & Taggart, Gender, IT and Development Countries, AED for USAID, 2001.

  4. Women concentrated at lower skilled employmentlevels Automation in manufacturing/services Relocation of production New skill requirements Impact of IT on women’s work • Creation of new jobs in: INFORMATION PROCESSING BANKING INSURANCE PRINTING PUBLISHING • Conducive policies in India and Malaysia have led to women occupying high-skilled and managerial positions

  5. Information processing PROJECT SITA AND WOMEN’S e-COOPERATIVE MITRAMANDAL - INDIA • Studies in Information Technology Applications (SITA) is a computer-skill training program for 450 women from a disadvantage background and with limited communication skills. It is sponsored by InfoDev - World Bank • Global Challenge Award 2000, finalist Stockholm Challenge Award 2000, selected as Most Promising Social Enterprise 2002 • Poor response of the job market to the project trainees • Self-employment through the women’s cooperative MitraMandal

  6. Information processing WOMEN’S e-COOPERATIVE MITRAMANDAL Professional Wing Training of trainers R&D marketing and publicity Earning Wing Trainers and trainees use IT skills to generate income MitraMandal Learning Wing Implements the learning strategy Public/Private Organizations Providers of work Source: SITA.

  7. Information processing PROJECT SITA AND WOMEN’S e-COOPERATIVE MITRAMANDAL - INDIA SITA trainees SITA head trainer SITA senior instructor Source: SITA

  8. Information processing SECTOR PROFILE IN ASIA • CHINA, INDIA, SINGAPORE and VIETNAM are taking large shares of the outsourcing markets in data processing • The PHILIPPINES concentrates the largest number of women workers in remote data entry • Many new jobs are in call centres and satellite offices performing back office functions

  9. Information processing OPPORTUNITIES FOR WOMEN IN ASIA • In INDIA over 350,000 women are expected to be working in remote data processing by 2008 • One million jobs in call centres are expected to be created in INDIA by 2007 • Women’s attempts to create self-employment are frustrated by their lack of business and marketing skills • Women working in data entry in BANGLADESH would earn 88% more than in local jobs

  10. Information processing CONDUCIVE POLICIES • Good telecom infrastructure • IT training in and out of school • Training in marketing and business development

  11. Clothing and textile manufacturing RANLIYA GARMENT INDUSTRIES - SRI LANKA • Established in 1978 by Ms. Hapuarachchi. Turnover of US$23 million, workforce of 6,000. 95% are women • The company utilizes CAD/CAM machines for garment design, computerized sewing and embroidery machine and has a production capacity of 700,000 pieces per month • Technology transfer was successful thanks to an easily trainable workforce due to Sri Lanka’s high literacy rate • The new technology enhances the productivity while meeting the requirements of international markets in terms of timeliness, pricing and quality standards

  12. Clothing and textile manufacturing RANLIYA GARMENT INDUSTRIES - SRI LANKA CAD/CAM machine for garment design Computerized sewing machine

  13. Clothing and textile manufacturing SECTOR PROFILE IN ASIA • Asia’s share of total employment in the industry was 72% in 1998 • In 1995 Asia concentrated 80% of global women workers in the textile sector • China is the major employer accounting for 20% of the global workforce • Women take up 71% of the jobs in clothing in the region, with China the major employer (20%) followed by Indonesia and Thailand Source: ILO.

  14. Clothing and textile manufacturing OPPORTUNITIES FOR WOMEN IN ASIA • In Italy women subcontractors use IT applications for the instant fashion market • Computer technology offers opportunities for small and medium women-owned clothing manufacturing units • Decentralization allowed by fragmentation of production particularly in garment manufacturing • Promotion of small-scale sector instrumental for the development of the sector

  15. Clothing and textile manufacturing CONDUCIVE POLICIES • Promotion of small-scale sector • Government to initiate, coordinate and share the cost of R&D and training schemes • Entrepreneurship development training • Dissemination of technology information

  16. Software programming VIJAY SOFTWARE DEVELOPERS (VSD) - INDIA • Shefali Kapoor established an education and career guidance centre in 1990, a computer academy in 1991 and VSD in 1992. Turnover of US$222,000 and workforce of 6 software developers • Technology transfer was successful thanks to her post graduation in computer sciences. She entered the business when computer started to be used for back-office support, pay-roll management, inventory control etc. • Advantages she found in her business are - availability of personnel possessing technical know-how - know-how could be updated on the job, and - tremendous scope of IT-enabled services

  17. Software programming VIJAY SOFTWARE DEVELOPERS (VSD) - INDIA Shefali Kapoor Software developers at work

  18. Software programming SECTOR PROFILE IN ASIA • Software sector in INDIA has grown by 50% in the 1990s creating exports, domestic jobs and technical talents • The number of women programmers, designers, inventors and fixers of computers is limited in the developing world • However in MALAYSIA women are 30% of IT professionals and in INDIA comprise 20% of professional jobs in the software industry • Customized software services are potentially attractive to small and medium sized women enterprises

  19. Software programming OPPORTUNITIES FOR WOMEN IN ASIA • The greatest potential for job opportunities is in the core IT sector • Network administration and maintenance are services strongly needed by private sector and government institutions • In INDIA and CHINA opportunities are available for women in the software industry • IT education and training is an area particularly suitable for women

  20. Software programming CONDUCIVE POLICIES • Introduction of IT at early stages of formal education • Less expensive courses on IT • State-private sector cooperation for HRD development • Increasing the number of girls and women studying IT-related subjects in formal schooling • IT info dissemination for girls and women (career fairs) • IT training out of school • Entrepreneurship development training

  21. Conclusions POLICIES FOR WOMEN’S DIGITAL EMPOWERMENT Regulatory environment Infrastructure Education and training • Rural areas • Cost of hardware, software, service • Alternative sources of software • Cyberkiosks and telecenters • HRD at al levels • Scholarships and reservations • Business development programmes for self-employment • Impact assessment of legislation on working women • Taxes and subsidies for investment promotion in strategic sectors

  22. Web References • http://learnlink.aed.org/Publications/Gender_Book/pdf/Gender_Book_NoPhotos.pdf • http://www.totheweb.com/Digital_Divide_White_Paper.PDF • http://www.sitaa.org • http://www.undp.org.my/partnership/UNDP.pdf • http://www.ilo.org/public/english/dialogue/sector/techmeet/tmlfi00/tmlfi-r.pdf • http://www.unu.edu/unupress/unupbooks/uu37we/uu37we00.htm#Contents

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