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INTRO TO GENDER AND ICT: GENDER SENSITIVITY. GENDER AWARENESS. WHAT IS SEX? . It refers to BIOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTIC OF MEN AND WOMEN It identifies the biological differences between men and women. WHAT IS GENDER?.
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INTRO TO GENDER AND ICT: GENDER SENSITIVITY
WHAT IS SEX? • It refers to BIOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTIC OF MEN AND WOMEN • It identifies the biological differences between men and women.
WHAT IS GENDER? • It is the culturally-specific set of characteristics that explains the social behavior of women and men and the RELATIONSHIP between them. • Gender therefore, refers not simply to men and women, but to the relationship between them, and the way it is socially constructed.
WHAT IS GENDER? • Gender refers to economic, social and cultural attributes and opportunities associated with being male or female. • Gender attributes are shaped by the economy, by religion, by culture, and by traditional values. • Gender attributes differ from society to society, and change over time.
PRODUCTIVE WORK • Involves the production of goods and services for consumption and trade. • Example: farming, fishing, employment and self-employment, etc. • Work which is often paid or generates income.
PRODUCTIVE WORK • Both women and men can be involved in productive activities, but for the most part their functions and responsibilities differ according to their gender division of labor. • Women's productive work is often less visible and less valued than men's.
REPRODUCTIVE WORK • Involves the care and maintenance of the household and its members. • Example: bearing and caring of children, food preparation, water and fuel collection, shopping/marketing, housekeeping, and family health care. • Reproductive work is crucial to human survival, yet it is seldom considered “real work”.
REPRODUTIVE WORK • In poor communities, reproductive work can be manual-labour-intensive and time consuming. • It is almost always the responsibility of women and girls.
COMMUNITY WORK • Involves the collective organization of social events and services, ceremonies and celebrations, community improvement activities, participation in groups and organizations, local political activities and so on. • This type of work is seldom considered in economic analyses of communities.
COMMUNITY WORK • It involves considerable volunteer time and is important for the spiritual and cultural development of communities and as a vehicle for the community organization and self-determination. • Both women and men engage in community activities, although a gender division of labour also prevails here.
1. ACCESS AND CONTROL • ACCESS is the opportunity to make use of ICTs - meaning not only technology but also information and knowledge. • CONTROL refers to the power to decide how ICTs are used, and who has access to them. • Women’s access and control (or lack thereof) is dependent on factors such as age, class, gender, geographic location, health, illiteracy, and other socially and economically-determined categories.
2. EDUCATION, TRAINING AND SKILLS DEVELOPMENT • Education, training and skill development are critical to ICT interventions • For the most part, WOMEN have little or no previous experience with technology, and many feel confused when confronted with the sudden appearance of computers and the Internet.
3. INDUSTRY AND LABOUR • The gender dimension of ICT affects telework, flexi-time, and work from home arrangements where women have few rights, meagre pay, and no health, social or job securities. • A woman’s wage labour outside (or inside) the home as a result of the new technologies does not entail a change in the family division of labour. Men still get out of doing the housework, and women find themselves with dual or triple burdens.
4. CONTENT DEVELOPMENT AND LANGUAGE • The content that predominates on the Internet and in the new media is northern-ruled, male-dominated, anglophone, and culturally biased • Representation of women’s viewpoints, knowledge and interests remain inadequate • The use of ICTs for pornography and sexual exploitation of women • Language barriers to information access
5. FREEDOM OF EXPRESION, PRIVACY AND SECURITY • This means secure online spaces where women feel safe from harassment, enjoy freedom of expression, and have privacy of communication and protection from ‘electronic snooping’.
6. TRAFFICKING, PORNOGRAPHY, CENSORSHIP • The use of the internet for pornography and human trafficking.
References: 1. Kuga Thas, et.al. Gender and ICT. E-Primers for the Information Economy. Society and Polity. United Nations Development Programme – Asia-Pacific Development Information Programme (UNDP-APDIP), 2007 2. Aksornkool, et.al. Gender Sensitivity. A Training Manual. UNESCO. 2004 3. Ray, Savitri. Training Manual on Gender Sensitization. Haryana Community Forestry Project. Haryana Forest Department. 2000.