GENDER BARRIERS TO ICT
Identifying barriers to ICTs in education
based on gender differences
Regional expert meetings convened by COL
Forum on ICTs & Gender: Optimising Opportunities
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 20 - 23, August 2003
Regional expert meetings convened by COL
COL and its network are continuing work in addressing gender barriers, such as those encountered by women, to the use of information and communications technologies (ICTs) for education and training, and especially for open and distance learning.
From 1998 to 2001, COL convened four regional expert group meetings to identify barriers to information and communications technologies (ICTs) in education based on gender differences. Reports from these meetings are available here, in Acrobat PDF format.
Asian region, meeting held November 1998: Meeting report Country presentations
Caribbean region, meeting held November 1999: Meeting report
African region, meeting held March 2000: Meeting report Country presentations
Pacific region, meeting held May 2001: Meeting report Country presentations
The symposiums have been held in India, Barbados, Tanzania and New Zealand and relate to the discussions around the "digital divide", which have identified a particular need to address the implications of the ICT revolution for women, especially if they are not to be deprived of the opportunity to participate fully in the emerging economy likely to shape the 21st century.
Funding assistance for the Asian meeting was provided by the British Council, for the African meeting by Canada's International Development Research Centre through its Acacia Initiative, and for the Pacific meeting by the New Zealand Official Development Assistance (Development Cooperation Division, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade).
Gender Issues and Barriers to Information and Communications Technologies,
Ottawa, Canada, June 24-26, 2002
An invitational meeting for regional representatives from the developing parts of the Commonwealth was held in Ottawa in June 2002, in partnership with Canada's International Development Research Centre (IDRC). Participants reviewed outcomes from four regional meetings held earlier to examine the issues. The reports came from this meeting and are available here:
· Summary Meeting Report (818 Kb Acrobat PDF download)
· Women and ICTs for Open and Distance Learning: Some Experiences and Strategies from the Commonwealth, a "synthesis report" covering all regional meetings, plus the Ottawa meeting (420 Kb Acrobat PDF download)
Forum on ICTs & Gender: Optimising Opportunities
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 20 - 23, August 2003
COL, the Global Knowledge Partnership (GKP), Canada's International Development Research Centre (IDRC), the International Telecommunications Union and the Government of Malaysia (Ministry of Energy, Communications and Multimedia, the Ministry of Women and Family Development and the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission) organised an invitational forum on ICTs and gender, where Commonwealth experience and recommendations were shared with those from other parts of the world.
Participation at this event was by invitation only. Topics included the areas of "Confidence & Security in the Use of ICTs", "Health & Education", "SME/Entrepreneurship" and "Rural & Disadvantaged Groups". Several other agencies also supported the Forum.
The Forum brought together public, private and not-for-profit stakeholders for the purpose of creating awareness about and a greater appreciation of the gender-related barriers that exist in developing and developed countries, to discuss strategies for overcoming these barriers, and to develop an understanding of why women need access to ICTs. It is anticipated that the awareness and appreciation will translate into policies that support women's access to ICTs, as well as networking which will enhance women's participation in the information economy, especially in the developing world.
There were over three hundred participants attending the Forum, most from developing countries. Through support provided by COL and its partners, GKP, IDRC, the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and infoDev, many women from developing regions of the Commonwealth were enabled to attend the Forum, and contribute to the proceedings. All expressed their thanks and appreciation for the opportunity to gain and share knowledge and experiences through the presentations and discussions.
Further information: Official conference web site
Please note: This forum was originally scheduled to take place in May 2003, but was postponed.
