Gendering Information and Communication Technologies in Climate Change

Abstract

Information and communication technologies (ICTs) have long been seen as a solution to problems associated with climate change. Their effectiveness has, however, been questioned for not taking gender seriously. This paper tries to explain why, and how, women are more constrained than men from using ICTs in tackling climate change. Women have less access to technology information and finance and suffer greater deprivation in terms of land rights. Intersected with the analysis of class, this chapter also examines why poor, working class households are less represented in decision-making in policy design and resource allocations. To address the gender inequalities, this paper calls for a need to contextualise the process of gender mainstreaming and to scrutinise the interplay between old and new institutions in gender inclusion. Apart from advocating gender-sensitive funding mechanisms for needy women, and men, it also suggests a deeper understanding of the agency-structure dynamics and the gender-class interactions in tackling digital exclusion.