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Woman and ICT

Woman and ICT. Samia Melhem Sr Information Technology Specialist The GICT Group. US Studies on woman/ICT. Educating Girls in the new computer age Number of woman in hightech declined Woman do not do technology (17% only take math / engineers/ CS tracks)

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Woman and ICT

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  1. Woman and ICT Samia Melhem Sr Information Technology Specialist The GICT Group

  2. US Studies on woman/ICT • Educating Girls in the new computer age • Number of woman in hightech declined • Woman do not do technology (17% only take math / engineers/ CS tracks) • Media Metrix/Jupiter study (51% in 2000, 30% in 96)- Used for marketing • Between 99-00, 35% growth • Marketing race to attract women/girls • 70% of purchase decisions • Health, chat, email, fashion • Internet and American Life Project • Woman in Information Tech. Int’nl (WITI)

  3. High Tech jobs in US • 8% of woman in Mgmt Board(13% for other fields) • Glass ceiling. Man / Geek culture • Much better than elsewhere • Woman VIPs tend to fund/encourage IT projects for children/young girls/woman (HP einclusion, Xerox, IBM K-12, Motorolla, MS, Silicon Valley Tech Summits for girls) • Increasing # woman in key IT positions • Helping woman become more IT aware • Encouraging girls in science/IT careers

  4. US versus Developing nations & MNA • Enormous Inequality in flow of global Inf. • Digital Divide • Gender Divide • MNA specific issues

  5. Internet Usage: Linked to • Gender • Race • Education • Income • Geographic location • Occupation • Access • Culture • Content • Banking/Financial environment

  6. Can be addressed with • Community centers • Tele-centers in rural areas • After school/night educational programs • Cybercafes • Using / renting time from a public infrastructure provider • Small pilots addressing specific needs

  7. MNA Gender issues for Internet Usage • Woman status in society • Education • Income • Geographic location • Occupation • Culture: Fear of loss of control • Access: Public Places • Content: Fear of opening-up • Information / communications as a threat and not as an enabler

  8. Woman/ICT Specific activities • Target Educated woman • Cisco and Economic Commission in Africa • Cisco academy training, 30 graduates a year, Certification and guaranteed high income employment. • Entrpreneurship training • UNDP and Cyberforum in Nouakchott • Civil society, special programs and web sites for woman and HIV information • Various USAID/US State Department and EU educations projects. • Michigan State University Multi-lingual Africa Library project (Senegal)

  9. Woman in ICT projects in MNA • Generally depressed market (ME conflict) with some exceptions. Maghreb doing well • USAID funding some educational projects in Egypt. Targeting children in general. • TA (NZ) to evaluate IT education (IFC) • IFC investments in software companies: 70% of developers are woman (Egypt) • Proposals (WB&G orphans, Web princess) • RITSEC Dist Learning: Leadership skills for woman (Egypt, Kuwait and Jordan)

  10. Need for Targeted Programs • Focus on children/mixed teams • For young girls (the earlier the better) • University woman advanced IT skills • Inclusive (family approach) • Content development in Arabic • Marketing financial benefits of IT careers

  11. Discussion and Next steps • How can the WBG help • Sector Strategy Paper • Gender and ICT annex • Grants : Not enough, do not seem to like girl projects. Not innovative enough • Full fledge projects • Introducing IT education for girls /woman as a component in Education portfolio • Other Suggestions

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