The effect of information and communication technologies on gender equality at a selected university in South Africa

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15587/2706-5448.2022.270880

Keywords:

gender discrimination, gender inequality, gender glass ceiling, information and communication technologies (ICTs), gender digital divide

Abstract

In today’s technological environment, it is essential to make technological advancements. This requires both men and women to have equal information, communication, and technology opportunities. Various efforts have been made to address the issue of gender equality in the workplace. It can be noted that even though equal opportunities between men and women may exist, discrimination against women is still immanent in the workplace, for example, gender bias, inequalities, and underrepresentation. Thus, the object of research is the role of information and communication technologies (ICTs) on gender equality in the workplace in today’s digital age.

An empirical investigation was carried out at a selected higher education institution in South Africa. Purposive sampling was used, and 19 participants were interviewed. Mixed methods were used for this study, with the qualitative findings used in the preliminary discussions. The collected data were transcribed, coded, and analyzed using Microsoft Excel and NVIVO.

The study’s findings show that ICTs play an important role in promoting gender equality. ICTs enable women to be empowered, educated, independent, and autonomous, enabling them to acquire top positions as men in the workplace.

This study adds to the body of knowledge on how ICTs have been proven to be a valuable tool in promoting gender equality by giving a voice to the voiceless and empowering women. This study also informs stakeholders about how women bring diversity to the workplace and why it is essential to give them equal opportunities with men.

Supporting Agency

  • Presentation of research in the form of publication through financial support in the form of a grant from SUES (Support to Ukrainian Editorial Staff).

Author Biographies

Visvanathan Naicker, Cape Peninsula University of Technology

PhD

Department of Business and Information Administration

Ivy Mbengo, Cape Peninsula University of Technology

Department of Business and Information Administration

References

  1. Alves, E. E. C., Steiner, A. Q. (2016). Globalization, Technology and Female Empowerment: Breaking Rights or Connecting Opportunities? Social Indicators Research, 133 (3), 859–877. doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-016-1395-1
  2. Heilman, M. E., Eagly, A. H. (2008). Gender Stereotypes Are Alive, Well, and Busy Producing Workplace Discrimination. Industrial and Organizational Psychology, 1 (4), 393–398. doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1754-9434.2008.00072.x
  3. Borgonovi, F., Ferrara, A., Maghnouj, S. (2018). The gender gap in educational outcomes in Norway. doi: https://doi.org/10.1787/f8ef1489-en
  4. Alauddin, A., Durdana, I., Ahmed, H., Nayel, R. (2006). Measuring The Impact Of ICT On Women In Bangladesh, 180–185.
  5. Granić, A., Marangunić, N. (2019). Technology acceptance model in educational context: A systematic literature review. British Journal of Educational Technology, 50 (5), 2572–2593. doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/bjet.12864
  6. Cohen, L., Manion, L., Morrison, K. (2017). Research Methods in Education. Routledge. doi: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315456539
  7. Gray, T. J., Gainous, J., Wagner, K. M. (2016). Gender and the Digital Divide in Latin America. Social Science Quarterly, 98 (1), 326–340. doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/ssqu.12270
  8. Wong, S., Atan, H. (2007). Gender Differences in Attitudes towards Information Technology among Malaysian Student Teachers: A Case Study at Universiti Putra Malaysia. Educational Technology & Society, 10, 158–169.
  9. Suwana, F., Lily. (2017). Empowering Indonesian women through building digital media literacy. Kasetsart Journal of Social Sciences, 38 (3), 212–217. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.kjss.2016.10.004
  10. Garcia, D., Mitike Kassa, Y., Cuevas, A., Cebrian, M., Moro, E., Rahwan, I., Cuevas, R. (2018). Analyzing gender inequality through large-scale Facebook advertising data. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 115 (27), 6958–6963. doi: https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1717781115
  11. van Deursen, A. J., van Dijk, J. A. (2018). The first-level digital divide shifts from inequalities in physical access to inequalities in material access. New Media & Society, 21 (2), 354–375. doi: https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444818797082
  12. Tiainen, T., Berki, E. (2017). The re-production process of gender bias: a case of ICT professors through recruitment in a gender-neutral country. Studies in Higher Education, 44 (1), 170–184. doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2017.1351428
  13. Jayachandran, S. (2015). The Roots of Gender Inequality in Developing Countries. Annual Review of Economics, 7 (1), 63–88. doi: https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-economics-080614-115404
  14. Scarborough, W. J., Sin, R., Risman, B. (2018). Attitudes and the Stalled Gender Revolution: Egalitarianism, Traditionalism, and Ambivalence from 1977 through 2016. Gender & Society, 33 (2), 173–200. doi: https://doi.org/10.1177/0891243218809604
  15. Tirado-Morueta, R., Aguaded-Gómez, J. I., Hernando-Gómez, Á. (2018). The socio-demographic divide in Internet usage moderated by digital literacy support. Technology in Society, 55, 47–55. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techsoc.2018.06.001
  16. Going Digital: The Future of Work for Women (2017). Policy Brief on the Future of Work. OECD. doi: https://doi.org/10.1787/9789264281318-en
  17. Holden, R. J., Karsh, B.-T. (2010). The Technology Acceptance Model: Its past and its future in health care. Journal of Biomedical Informatics, 43 (1), 159–172. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbi.2009.07.002
  18. Gefen, D., Straub, D. (2000). The Relative Importance of Perceived Ease of Use in IS Adoption: A Study of E-Commerce Adoption. Journal of the Association for Information Systems, 1 (1), 1–30. doi: https://doi.org/10.17705/1jais.00008
  19. Lee, M. T., Raschke, R. L. (2016). Understanding employee motivation and organizational performance: Arguments for a set-theoretic approach. Journal of Innovation & Knowledge, 1 (3), 162–169. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jik.2016.01.004
  20. Shechory, M., Ziv, R. (2007). Relationships between Gender Role Attitudes, Role Division, and Perception of Equity among Heterosexual, Gay and Lesbian Couples. Sex Roles, 56 (9-10), 629–638. doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-007-9207-3
  21. Dipboye, R., Colella, A. (2005). Discrimination at Work: The Psychological and Organizational Bases. New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
  22. Lorber, J. (2010). Gender Inequality: Feminist Theories and Politics. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
  23. Trauth, E. M., Howcroft, D. (2006). Critical empirical research in IS: an example of gender and the IT workforce. Information Technology & People, 19 (3), 272–292. doi: https://doi.org/10.1108/09593840610689859
  24. Frear, K. A., Paustian-Underdahl, S. C., Halbesleben, J. R. B., French, K. A. (2019). Strategies for work–family management at the intersection of career–family centrality and gender. Archives of Scientific Psychology, 7 (1), 50–59. doi: https://doi.org/10.1037/arc0000068
  25. Webb, L. M., Temple, N. (2016). Social Media and Gender Issues. Handbook of Research on the Societal Impact of Digital Media, 638–669. doi: https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-4666-8310-5.ch025
  26. Mahmudul, M. (2012). Role of ICTs to Promote Gender Equality in Bangladesh. 7th IPID International Annual Conference. Kristiansand.
  27. Sandys, E. (2005). Gender Equality and Empowerment of Women. UN Division for Advancement of Women.
  28. Leslie Steeves, H., Kwami, J. (2017). Interrogating Gender Divides in Technology for Education and Development: the Case of the One Laptop per Child Project in Ghana. Studies in Comparative International Development, 52 (2), 174–192. doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12116-017-9245-y
  29. Mariscal, J., Mayne, G., Aneja, U., Sorgner, A. (2019). Bridging the Gender Digital Gap. Economics, 13 (1). doi: https://doi.org/10.5018/economics-ejournal.ja.2019-9
  30. Booysen, L. A. E., Nkomo, S. M. (2010). Gender role stereotypes and requisite management characteristics. Gender in Management: An International Journal, 25 (4), 285–300. doi: https://doi.org/10.1108/17542411011048164
  31. Purcell, D., MacArthur, K. R., Samblanet, S. (2010). Gender and the Glass Ceiling at Work. Sociology Compass, 4 (9), 705–717. doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1751-9020.2010.00304.x
  32. Bradstreet, A. (2004). Breaking the Glass ceiling. Women's Lawyers Journal.
  33. Moen, K., Middelthon, A.-L. (2015). Qualitative Research Methods. Research in Medical and Biological Sciences, 321–378. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/b978-0-12-799943-2.00010-0
  34. Saunders, L., Lewis, P., Thornhill, A. (2008). Research Methods for Business Students. Prentice Hall.
  35. Bryman, A. (2016). Social Research Methods. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 748. Available at: https://books.google.co.za/books?hl=en&lr=&id=N2zQCgAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PP1&dq=research+methods+&ots=doOrDUM6vf&sig=kdzx3nZnsBnn7vaF2fDDtZdW2Dw#v=onepage&q=research methods&f=false Last accessed: 10.06.2021
  36. Bryman, A. (2012). Social Research Methods. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
  37. Trotter, R. T. (2012). Qualitative research sample design and sample size: Resolving and unresolved issues and inferential imperatives. Preventive Medicine, 55 (5), 398–400. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ypmed.2012.07.003
  38. Collis, J., Hussey, R. (2014). Business research: A practical guide for undergraduate and postgraduate students. London: Palgrave Macmillan. Available at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/38177413_Business_research_A_practical_guide_for_undergraduate_and_postgraduate_students Last accessed: 10.06.2021
  39. Bergin, T.; Seaman, J., de Jong, S. (Eds.) (2018). An Introduction to Data Analysis: Quantitative, Qualitative and Mixed Methods. London: Sage Publications Ltd, 296.
  40. Nowell, L. S., Norris, J. M., White, D. E., Moules, N. J. (2017). Thematic Analysis: Striving to Meet the Trustworthiness Criteria. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 16 (1). doi: https://doi.org/10.1177/1609406917733847
  41. Trauth, E. M., Kvasny, M., Greenhill, A. (2006). Conducting Feminist Research in the Information Systems Field. London: IRM Press.
  42. Rogers, R. W.; Cacioppo, J. T., Petty, R. E. (Eds.) (1983). Cognitive and physiological processes in fear appeals and attitude change: A revised theory of protected motivation. Social psychophysiology. New York: The Guilford Press, 153–177
  43. Cummings, C., O'Neil, T. (2015). Do Digital Information and Communications Technologies Increase the Voice of Women and Girls? Shaping Policy for Development.
  44. Data from the survey of ICTs and gender equality. doi: https://doi.org/10.17632/rv3wp4vgby.1
The effect of information and communication technologies on gender equality at a selected university in South Africa

Downloads

Published

2022-12-31

How to Cite

Naicker, V., & Mbengo, I. (2022). The effect of information and communication technologies on gender equality at a selected university in South Africa. Technology Audit and Production Reserves, 6(4(68), 26–33. https://doi.org/10.15587/2706-5448.2022.270880

Issue

Vol. 6 No. 4(68) (2022): Economics of enterprises. Macroeconomics

Section

Problems of Macroeconomics and Socio-Economic Development

License

Copyright (c) 2022 Visvanathan Naicker, Ivy Mbengo

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

The consolidation and conditions for the transfer of copyright (identification of authorship) is carried out in the License Agreement. In particular, the authors reserve the right to the authorship of their manuscript and transfer the first publication of this work to the journal under the terms of the Creative Commons CC BY license. At the same time, they have the right to conclude on their own additional agreements concerning the non-exclusive distribution of the work in the form in which it was published by this journal, but provided that the link to the first publication of the article in this journal is preserved.