Image description: Overhead photo of a group of people with phone

Feminist talk

"We would like to know how to use that ... smartphone"

Posted Mon 9 Mar 2020 - 05:53 | 4,491 views

Access to the internet and ICTs can often be about creating and finding surprising opportunities and uses. If women are familiar with smartphones and able to use them, then this is one way of ensuring that the next generation of girls are also able to access and adopt technology.

Image description: woman with mobile phone seated outside shop

In depth

Use of social media in Manipur – Women lag behind in technological advancement

Posted Thu 21 Feb 2019 - 04:52 | 8,137 views

Access to the internet is finally a priority for companies and acknowledged as human right by governments. However the gender digital divide persists, and in this article we explore what uses women make of the internet in urban and rural parts of Manipur. Is this use limited to social media, what about the generation gap, and the rampant spread of election propaganda?

Street outside bank in Manipur during demonetisation and network shutdown 2016

Review

How internet shutdowns affect the lives of women in Manipur

Posted Thu 6 Dec 2018 - 04:49 | 5,386 views

What is the experience of living through frequent network shutdowns and bans on mobile internet in the context of Manipur, a region located northeast of India. This article reviews a report on shutdowns in the region, and explores the specific impacts on women, and more broadly on people living in a sensitive region. 

Art by Mike Licht

In depth

Inclusion, mobility and connection: diverse uses of mobile phones for women with disability

Posted Thu 25 Oct 2018 - 07:41 | 5,648 views

Can technology-based solutions improve the quality of life for people with disabilities? Srinidhi Raghavan interviews various women who talk about how mobile phone usage has benefitted them in terms of communication and social interaction, but also about their real concerns around privacy.

Feminist talk

[COLUMN] Access and Beyond (5): How do we address the gender question?

Posted Thu 17 Aug 2017 - 03:59 | 6,134 views
In this last column by Chenai Chair following the gender implications of the research by Research ICT Africa on access, she explores how researchers and activists can proactively explore gender dimensions. Even as ITU figures point to a progressively increasing gender digital divide, there are steps to take to understand and address this divide.

Feminist talk

Framing access and power at Stockholm Internet Forum 2017

Posted Thu 22 Jun 2017 - 05:46 | 6,566 views
The Stockholm Internet Forum 2017 focused their discussions on the links between access and power. In this article Shaikh Rafia Sarwar examines how access is linked to women's empowerment and particularly their economic empowerment. And whether the debate around access should focus on economic, cultural and social empowerment of women through and outside technology, rather than ensuring access to…

Feminist talk

[COLUMN] Access and Beyond (3): Navigating mobile costs in communication

Posted Thu 15 Jun 2017 - 11:38 | 6,762 views
Africa is flooded with zero rating services such as Free Basics (Facebook’s zero rating scheme) and other subsidised data strategies. Do these schemes make internet more affordable and bring access to more people? In this column Chenai Chair examines whether ordinary people perceive such schemes as useful.

Feminist talk

Tackling the gender digital divide in Africa

Posted Thu 1 Jun 2017 - 03:49 | 7,133 views
The coming of the digital age and of information technology promises that those 'left out' or excluded from development will be to access their rights and enjoy a higher standard of living. But what is the truth for African women - are the experiences of all 'marginal' women being lumped together and how far away is the promise of equal access and gender equity.

Feminist talk

[COLUMN] I want to be a Pokémon master

Posted Thu 13 Apr 2017 - 05:18 | 4,152 views
Pokémon exploded as a game that could be played on mobile phones in 2016. Of the many debates around it, Angélica Contreras explores the gendered aspect of videogames and how Pokémon struck a chord with many women in Argentina, Brazil, Mexico and parts of Latin America. This article was originally written in Spanish, and is part of a column series that explores young women and their lives…

Feminist talk

[COLUMN] Access and beyond (1): Navigating the gendered cyberspace

Posted Wed 12 Apr 2017 - 05:18 | 5,917 views

In this column series, Chenai Chair explores the barriers to accessing the internet in four countries in Africa - Rwanda, Nigeria, South Africa and Kenya. The study in particular looks at the impact of affordability of internet and subsidised data services, and what impact this has on people in different locations (countries, urban-rural), of different genders, and so on. In the first column,…