Abstract
This study examines the impact of ICT on the economic empowerment of Nigerian women. The study survey the impact of extended education ICT related knowledge on the competitiveness of female workers in a growing globalized labour market. The study also looked at the challenges faced by women in juxtaposing their roles as wives and mothers in relation to global demand for their skills. Data for the study was gathered through a well-structured questionnaire administered to a randomly selected female graduate of national center for women development as respondents, professionals and non-professionals alike. It was discovered that level of education has certain role to play in the determination of women empowerment, but its importance has been eroded by the nature of ICT, which, in some cases, requires only operant abilities to ensure the liberation of women from poverty, subjugation and disease.
INTRODUCTION
Information and Communications Technology (ICT) has become a catchword with different interpretations and viewpoints even among experts. As the name suggests, ICT encompasses all the technology that facilitates the processing, transfer and exchange of information and communication services. In principle ICTs have always been available since the advent of the printing press. The only difference is that from the late twentieth century, rapid advances in technology changed the traditional ways in which information was processed, communications conducted, and services available (Adu 2002). These technological advances have changed business operations and the way people communicate. They have introduced new efficiencies in old services as well as numerous new ones. One could even imagine to go as far as replacing the term “Post-industrial Society” with ―Information Society”, that is a society where the ability to access, search, use, create and exchange information is the key for individual and collective well-being (Kaplan 2001). Although great expectations have been placed on information technology as a tool for transforming women’s lives and as an alleged enabler for empowerment, relatively little is known about how, when, and why such transformations occur (Wheeler 2008). The possibilities for greater women’s empowerment via web-powered ICT demonstrate the need for evidence based research based on how women currently access and use web-powered ICTs and the nature of the gender digital divide that persists despite growing global statistics on mobile phone and web-enabled ICT use. There is a tremendous pace and improvement in ICT field globally and the need for the skills of the ICT work force to keep up with the pace of technological change is paramount. Empowerment of women means investing in women’s rights with legal backing, and moral and financial support to enable women function effectively (Ogbomo n.d). The empowerment of women involves assessment of women’s needs and designing programmes to address those needs. ICT sector remains a buoyant and growing sector for empowerment, a key factor that enhances national development. Advances in ICT are occurring on an incredible scale in many countries that have translated to a definite abundance of wealth and opportunities for their entire people (Olaleye 2013). ICTs are a complex and heterogonous set of goods, applications and services used for producing, distributing, processing and transforming information, included in this set are the outputs of industries as diverse as telecommunication, television and radio broadcasting, computer hardware and software, computer services and electronic media. Employment in the ICT sector has continued to grow significantly in recent years. The perception in most countries that ICT sector is a male-dominated industry persists. Male dominated most high- value and income jobs in the ICT sector. The research carried out in both developed and developing countries, revealed classic cases of vertical gender segregation, with women more strongly represented in lower ICT occupations than in higher status, and higher paid areas. The study showed that 15 per cent of ICT managers, and only 11 percent of IT strategy and planning professionals were women (Girls in ICT portal n.d). Gillian Goddard (n.d) said that the lack of belief in our female to be engaged in ICT in different areas constituted an obstacle. Burch a gender and information society activist in Latin America, echoed this sentiment. “ICT policy, perhaps even more than other policy areas, is often perceived as an issue reserved for specialists. It is therefore not often seen by women’s organizations or other gender focused groups as something with important development and social implications that they should therefore take on in the frame work of their advocacy initiatives. Hafkin (2002) said that ICT sector was not only seen as an area for specialists, women as well as men regard it as the province of men. The African information society Gender Working Group argued and fell into the trap of saying” “these are not things for us to deal with” hence women are accepting gender stereotypes. In order for women and girls to enter the information ages and for ICT policy to be engendered, women must transcend these attitudinal barriers (Marcelle 2000). Observations have shown that girls and women are lacking behind in ICT field as far as getting adequate knowledge is concerned. The society seems to perceive ICT sector as masculine dominated occupation. It is apparent that culturally certain occupations are preserved of women folk. It seems the women are not keeping pace with ICT but the men are taking upper hands in gaining more access to ICT sector. The purpose of this paper is to examine ICT usage among women and girls, and the various ICT opportunities that are beneficial to women, and so to come up with strategies that could promote ICT opportunities and subsequent women empowerment.
STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
The girl child throughout history has been subjected to varying degrees of deprivations and subjugation. She has been stifled mentally, psychologically and physically by the dictates of male – dominated cultures and traditions that cut across virtually all races of the world. The fact is; she has been so second rated that even an account of her past heroic deeds has been recorded as “his “story”.
