TITLE: NEED ANALYSIS: THE ICT AND GENDER ISSUESNwanesi Peter Karubi & Goy Siew Ching

Univeristy Malaysia Sarawak (FSS)

DO WOMEN COUNT IN ICT?

Or Do we just Accept the notion that;

Women, take care AND Men, take charge

Yet if;

You educate one man, you educate a person but if you educate one woman, you educate the whole

community

BUT THEN;

i. Who benefits from ICTs? ii. Who is dictating the course of ICTs? iii. Is it possible to harness ICT’s to serve

larger goals of equality and justice? iv. Is it in any way fundamental to the issues

of gender equal right; access to, and Voice?

YET

ICTs carries strong possibilities for empowerment of the excluded and powerless.

Because this technology (ICT) has many unique dimensions.

ICT has the potential to empower women as well as give them ‘voice’, or right to be heard

ICT provides not only a platform for collective voice, it allows women to access to a vast array of valuable and relevant resources, which can be beneficial in their communities

Fundamentally, Orang Asli women’s collective voices (which they don’t have at the moment) will enhance chances of their needs being included in the policy making of both the state and central governments.

Therefore, ICT provides them a channel to market their products to both local and international markets

ICT provides not only a platform for collective voice, it allows women to have access to a vast array of valuable and relevant resources, which can be beneficial in their communities. These range from health information on child birth and rearing, nutrition to e-commerce to market their hand crafts and arts, and others.