Technology as the key to women’s empowerment: a scoping review

Abstract

Background Information and communications technologies (ICTs) have empowered people to communicate and network at a global scale. However, there is lack of in-depth understanding of the use of ICTs for women's empowerment. This study examines how the concept empowerment is defined, utilized and measured in research studies, the existing evidence on the use of ICTs for women’s empowerment and the gaps in knowledge at the global level. Methods The authors’ conducted a scoping review using the Arksey and O’Malley methodology. The search identified papers from ten databases, including Scopus, Embase, ABI Inform, Soc Index, Sociological Abstracts, Gender Studies, Springer Link, PsychInfo, Science Direct, and Academic Search Complete over the period of 2012–2018. Search criteria included articles that focused on women’s empowerment and utilized technologies as interventions. Out of a total of 4481 articles that were initially identified, 51 were included. Results Technology played a variety of roles in supporting the development of women’s capacities and resources. Results revealed the use of ICT interventions in the overarching areas of outreach (e.g., health promotion), education (e.g., health literacy opportunities), lifestyle (e.g., peer coaching and planning), prevention (e.g., screening opportunities), health challenges (e.g., intimate partner violence apps), and perceptions of barriers (i.e., uptake, utilization and ubiquity to ICTs for women). Despite the positive use of technology to support women in their daily lives, there was a lack of consensus regarding the definition and use of the term empowerment. The concept of empowerment was also inconsistently and poorly measured in individual studies making it difficult to determine if it was achieved. Conclusion This scoping review provides a comprehensive review of current and emerging efforts to use ICTs to empower women. The findings suggest a need for collaborative efforts between researchers, program implementers and policy makers as well as the various communities of women to address the persistent gender disparities with respect to ICTs.

Smartphone use, off‐farm employment, and women's decision‐making power: Evidence from rural China

“…Most studies have supported that ICT‐related technologies are innovative practices that help empower women (e.g., Chun & Tang, 2018; Crittenden et al, 2019; Mackey & Petrucka, 2021; Rajkhowa & Qaim, 2022b; Sarker, Biswas, Anwar, Stillman, & Oliver, 2021; Sekabira & Qaim, 2017; Shirazi, 2012; Zheng & Lu, 2021). For example, Sekabira and Qaim (2017) showed that mobile phone use is positively associated with women's empowerment in Uganda.…”

“…Information and communication technologies (ICTs), such as the internet, televisions, mobile phones, and smartphones, enable users to obtain information on a global scale and communicate with others efficiently (Mackey & Petrucka, 2021; Min, Liu, & Huang, 2020; Yu & Cui, 2019; Zhu, Li, Gong, & Jinghong, 2022). ICT applications have been proven to improve rural household welfare by, for example, transforming agricultural production and increasing household income (Dzanku & Osei, 2022; Min et al, 2020; Zheng & Ma, 2021).…”

Women’s Autonomy and Intimate Partner Violence in Peru: Analysis of a National Health Survey

“…Regarding the operational definition of autonomy, several studies have described differences in its composition and methods of measurement. However, there are common components that would help to delimit the necessary aspects of women to be autonomous, such as their participation in economic decision-making in the home, free transit, and health, as well as negative attitudes towards violence [ 13 , 15 , 16 ]. While the terms autonomy and women’s empowerment may be interchangeable, there are differences between their definitions [ 17 ].…”

Information and communications technology, health, and gender equality: Empirical evidence from a panel of Pacific developing economies

“…To the extent of surviving in the current COVID19 business worl [ 35 ], show possible business development possibilities through the use of ICT. Further, gender roles in society can also drive health outcomes [ 21 ]. For those countries where gender gaps in health are shaped by individual and societal norms that tend to undervalue women’s health, relevant interventions which include ICT platforms for effective, innovative, and faster dissemination of messages are needed to reinforce the importance of women and girls for the reduction in health gaps [ 36 ].…”

“…(; However, ICT can potentially affect various other aspects of public welfare like health [ 17 , 18 ] and gender empowerment [ 8 , 19 , 20 ]. [ 21 ] argue that on-hand access to various computer sites within the community or in schools is one of the effective ways to close the gap in accessibility and usage of ICT, which does not only aid in enhancing the status of the girls and women, but also boosts societal empowerment, equality, and development. [ 22 – 24 ] examine the use of information and communication technology, including mobile use for boosting health efficiency and patient care.…”