Europe

A recent conference on Women's Perspectives in the Labor Market in the Czech Republic touched on a sore nerve: does the job flexibility of ICTs facilitate women working, or does it enable women's exploitation? The panel on Women and IT brought together researchers, representatives from companies, internet and computer trainers, and women information technology (IT) specialists, all with varying views on this debate.

Flexibility

Have you just ended your maternity or parental leave? Have you been out of the labour market for a longer period? Have you just finished your degree? Are you interested in IT or want to try something new? Do you want to find out if IT could be an option?

APC WNSP member Malgorzata (Gosia) Tarasiewicz from The Network of East-West-Women/ NEWW - Polska shares how she got involved with ICTs and the internet reality for women in Central Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States, from her perspective as Executive Director of NEWW-Polska.

“Women should not only be users of ICT but really have an impact on the way they operate so that it is not women who adapt to the ICTs but the way ICTs are used is adapted to the needs of women.”

Commissioned by UNDP, this report represents a joint effort of UNDP and UNIFEM to deepen knowledge about gender dimensions within ICT for Development (ICTD) and to strengthen integration of gender within the work of UNDP and others working to promote ICTD in the region. The report highlights the need for increased action to address imbalances between women’s and men’s access to and participation in ICTs in the CEE/CIS region. It also emphasizes the powerful potential of ICTs as a vehicle for advancing gender equality.

This report is the first of its kind to compile a substantial inventory of gender equality projects and resources for the information society in the CEE/CIS region, including references to other resources, relevant websites and contacts. Equally important, regional specificities are addressed. Similarities and differences for the region in terms of the gender agenda ­ both historic and current ­ are discussed in the context of ICTD approaches.

UNDP and UNIFEM encourage regional and national ICT policymakers, ICT and development specialists, as well as gender equality experts and advocates, to draw on this report as a practical tool and resource. It is hoped that the examples of good practice showcased in the report will inspire greater action and innovation across the region, which will further contribute to bridging the gender digital divide in the CEE/CIS.

The publication is an output of the joined initiative of UNDP Bratislava Regional Center and UNIFEM Central and Eastern Europe in cooperation with APC Women's Networking Support Programme. The APC WNSP hopes this report will help initiate a discussion about women, gender, and equal opportunities of women and men in relation to ICTs. The APC WNSP is working towards mainstreaming the ICT issues into the work of women's organisations in the CEE countries and into ongoing processes such as Beijing+10 and WSIS.

Bridging the Gender Digital Divide is now available in English for download.