How telecentres contribute to women empowerment in rural communities: case of Western Cape, South Africa

• Main Author: Alao, Abiodun
• Other Authors: Chigona, Wallace
• Format: Doctoral Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: Faculty of Commerce 2019
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/11427/30439

Background – This study investigates how telecentres contribute to the empowerment of women in the rural communities of selected regions of the Western Cape, South Africa. Women face the problem of ICT access due to a host of socio-economic factors. Rural women lack computer skills, and there is a need for more women to be computer literate to eliminate poverty challenges and improve their economic standards. Telecentres are ICT initiatives established in disadvantaged communities for people to have access to the digital world. The aim of telecentres is to enhance information access, promote the use of ICTs for community development, provide information services to communities and provide computer skills training of individuals in communities. However, most telecentres do not focus on how women specifically can benefit from using their services provided at the telecentre. Women who have access to information gain knowledge through ICTs and may share their knowledge, concerns, best practices and experiences, gain a greater understanding of their current situation and solve issues that were previously beyond their capability and enhance their livelihood. Purpose of the research – Telecentres are ICT community development initiatives with no focus on gender aspects. Hence, the purpose of this study was to investigate how telecentres contribute to the empowerment of women in rural communities, and to provide adequate information for improving women’s livelihood. Problem statement – The scenario of men leaving their wives behind and migrating to urban centres to seek employment explains why the number of female-headed rural households varies between 50% and 80%. These women are left behind are known to be the least likely to reap the gains of ICTs in subSaharan Africa, due to the limited access to telecentres in the rural areas. Furthermore, there is limited literature on how the use of telecentres is linked to women empowerment, or the impact of ICTs on rural women's economic well-being. An attempt at addressing these problems is made here. This study has analysed the contribution of telecentres to the empowerment of women and development in the identified problems/knowledge gaps. Design/methodology/approach – The research study intends to address the question: How telecentres contribute to women empowerment in the rural communities. To address this question the research adopted a qualitative method to present the view of women respondents of the telecentre which was utilised for the data collection. The study used the following data collection techniques: Semistructured in-depth interviews, participatory observation, and focus group discussions. The study is explanatory, and the research philosophy of the study is interpretative; this is to understand the phenomenon in a given context. The study used three theories such as the Domestication Theory, Individual Difference Theory, and Dimensions of Empowerment Theory as a theoretical lens. The case study method is used to conduct an in-depth investigation of the research. Findings –. The key findings of this study signify that few women incorporated the telecentre use in their daily lives. However, socio-cultural and contextual factors hindered women from effectively using telecentres. The use of the telecentre affected the process of empowerment in women through the computer skills training offered at the telecentre which facilitated the use of the technology artefact. Originality/contributions – The study makes practical contributions for the government and Nongovernment organisations to use telecentres for enhancing other socio-economic development programmes, as well as a theoretical contribution through the creation of a conceptual model. Furthermore, the telecentre was consciously explained in this study to accommodate programmes that may contribute to women’s capabilities and digital gap.