Women Empowerment: Information Technology as a Critical Input
| Author | Y. Pardhasaradhi,V. Nagender Rao |
| DOI | 10.1177/0019556120140311 |
| Date | 01 July 2014 |
| Published date | 01 July 2014 |
| Subject Matter | Article |
WOMEN EMPOWERMENT: INFORMATION
TECHNOLOGY AS A CRITICAL INPUT
Y.
PARDHASARADHIAND
V.
NAGENDER RAO
It is a well established fact that Information Communication
Technologies (ICTs) offer immense scope
for
sustainable
economic development
of
people the world
over.
Without the
adoption
of
these technologies in a competitive economic
world, countries can lag behind immensely frittering away
the chance
of
rapid development
of
their citizens, particularly
women.
The
potential
of
/CT
as a technology for promoting
micro-enterprises by poor and rural women is yet to be tapped
fully by developing countries like India. This article presents
some case studies where technology has been leveraged
successfully ushering
in
a new dawn
for
women. Deploying
ICTs for all round development
of
women through self-help
groups for marketing, land development and economic self-
reliance is best illustrated through Kudumbashree project in
Kerala, Indira Kranthi Patham in Andhra Pradesh
and
Nabanna network in
West
Bengal.
The
article also presents a
basic appraisal on women empowerment
in
the context
of
adoption
of
new technologies with emphasis on the enabling
environment and dedication
of
the poor women involved in
the projects mentioned above
for
achieving sustainable
economic development.
INTRODUCTION
INFORMATION AND Communication Technologies (ICTs) are a diverse
set
of
technological tools and resources to create, disseminate, store, bring
value addition and manage information. The basic components
of
ICT sector
include telecommunications, television and radio broadcasting, computer
hardware, software and services and electronic media, the Internet and
mobile telephony. ICTs offer a tremendous scope for rapid economic growth
in
terms
of
IT
and
IT-enabled
services,
particularly
in
globally
interconnected world. The IT sector not only provides direct and indirect
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