The Role Of Modern Information Technologies On The Empowerment Of Women. Case Study: Kampala City

ABSTRACT.

This study evaluates the influence of ICTs on the empowerment of women. It seeks

answer the question of whether or not ICTs are actually empowering women if so, in

What ways, if not , why. The study also sought out the forms of ICTs assessed by

women, to create a better understanding of the barriers to empowerment that

women face in ICTs and to come up with more effective solutions to overcoming

obstacles to women's empowerment through ICTs. The study shows that women are

indeed being empowered economically through computer technology, but overall

adoption of this technology is very small. There is a high lack of awareness among

women as to the potential that the technology had for improving their lives but even

those who are aware are not being empowered because of lack of time, money,

motivation or the nature of their business.

The findings indicate that there are enormous opportunities for women in internet

technology as users of the technology, participants in the civil society are consumers

of the technology. The opportunities for women's social, economic and political

empowerment through the internet are too great to be dismissed. However, this study

has recognized the disparity in connectivity between the urban and the rural dwellers,

more so between gender relationships in the production, control attitude and access

to the ICTs. In other words, the relationships of power between women on the

Internet, roles and resource allocation of the needs of the two genders is far from

being equal. It is evidently clear that most of the information circulating on the

Internet is modeled in the male view point let alone the designing of the technology

and its availability to both genders. This has caused a huge imbalance in the utilization

of this valuable resource and manipulation of the available information by the women

for their empowerment.