Abstract

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ROLE OF ICT IN ACHIEVING COMPLETE GENDER EQUALITY IN INDIA

Garima Mishra, Dr U. V. Kiran


The 21st century has brought with itself a new revolution in the global realm the information society, which has changed the global macroeconomic landscape. The importance of technology cannot be denied as it has changed the way we live, the way we work, the way we make decisions and the way we correspond with each other. Advancements in Information Communication Technologies not only have the capability to improve the technological arena, but they also have the potential to bring about social and economic improvements. Across the globe, countries have recognized Information and Communication Technology (ICT) as an effective tool in catalyzing the economic activity in efficient governance, and in developing human resources. The role of ICTs to promote gender equality and parity in education can be achieved by targeting their efforts not only towards education itself, but also towards societys cultural and institutional framework. For example, in many countries, parents do not expect their daughters to have careers outside the home. Consequently, girl children are forced to leave school after completing only a basic or elementary education. In addition, if the benefits of schooling for boys far outweigh those for girls, economically disadvantaged parents will typically choose to send only the boys to school. The differences in the health, education and standards of behavior between the men and women of India, all contribute to the impairment of womens ability to improve their economic situation. The continued perception that women are not of value hinders womens ability to fully participate in the economy. Majority of women in India are doing tasks that are not recognized by Indian society as meaningful and work much longer hours than men, but much of their work is nurturing, and therefore not recognized as important. Even when women are contributing in family income, culturally their work is thought of as connected to their position as nurturer and therefore is not recognized as productive. The inequalities that exist among region, social class and gender prevent the growth of the Indian economy from improving the lives of many Indian people. Nowhere is inequality more evident than in the lives of Indian women, and likewise, there is no sector more affected by the lack of improvement in social issues. Hence, the use of ICTs to improve gender equality in education and employment may initiate a continuous cycle of positive reinforcing feedback effects between gender equality in employment and economic development, leading to further improvements in both.