Access Is Not Enough: Ensuring the Use of Information & Communication Technologies (ICTS) by Rural Women Entrepreneurs in India

Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), which include mobile phones, computers and Internet access, economically benefit developing nations like India. For instance, adding 10 mobile phones for every 100 residents can increase the Gross Domestic Product by .59% annually. Greater dissemination of ICTs is associated with greater political freedoms and political discourse. For entrepreneurs, ICTs offer more access to markets and information. Similarly, ICTs enable rural women entrepreneurs to expand their businesses. These women are more likely than men to reinvest their earnings in their communities and families. ICTs are thus tools for development and poverty reduction in rural areas. ICT interventions include creating telecommunication centers, providing mobile phones to rural citizens, offering technical literacy classes, and so forth.

However, rural areas in India cannot access ICTs as easily as urban areas can. The cost of establishing broadband connections in rural areas is more expensive than in urban areas, but the cost is decreasing. In the past, ICT interventions have failed because they are costly to maintain, face resource constraints, are not scalable and operate under a free or charitable model. ICTs require electricity, network connections, hardware and basic software, among other things, to work properly. Rural areas have less access to electricity than urban areas. For ICTs to work consistently in rural areas, generators, solar panels and other power alternatives may be necessary. It is more expensive to install infrastructure, like hardware, in rural areas than in urban areas. Reliable connectivity is a problem in rural areas. Computers, telephones, cell-phones and computer centers are also more common in urban areas than rural areas. Technical assistance is often only available in urban areas, meaning that technical problems in rural areas take longer to resolve than problems in urban areas.

Even when ICTs are available in rural areas, women entrepreneurs may not use them. Illiteracy and technical illiteracy prevent rural women from using ICTs. The majority of the Internet is English-centered, and a lack of relevant content, like agricultural or skills training, in local languages deters grassroots users. Without such content, and a lack of awareness about the benefits of ICTs, women and heads of households may not see a need for ICTs. Women may also lack time to use the technology and pursue their business ventures, because their primary rural responsibilities include taking care of children.

The government and private sector have implemented ICT projects for rural development. 50 plus grassroots ICT interventions have been implemented in India, with hundreds of thousands of beneficiaries.¹¹ The Gyandoot project for e-Governance, which uses ICTs to provide citizens with government files, and Sustainable Access in Rural India (SARI) are examples. However, a lack of cooperation between the government, NGOs and Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) hampers progress on projects. Many centers fail to become financially sustainable, and do not benefit women. Only 19% of the Gyandoot project users were women.

National ICT policies exclude gender equality goals, and implementation strategies view technology as “gender-neutral.” ICT programs do not tailor specifically to grassroots women entrepreneurs, and as a result do not affect them. The government promotes ICT projects as social equalizers for lower castes (Dalits) and rural women. However, there is only anecdotal evidence that Dalits and rural women have achieved any lasting benefits from ICTs.