Telecentres’ contribution to women's empowerment in rural areas of South Africa

ABSTRACT The telecentre model was established to provide information and communication technology (ICT) skills to empower people, reduce poverty and unemployment in poor areas. Our study explored the relevance of telecentres as an ideal mechanism to empower women. Our study investigated how telecentres can contribute to women’s empowerment by analysing five telecentres in rural settings of the Western Cape, South Africa. A qualitative approach was adopted using semi-structured in-depth interviews, focus group discussions, and participant observation to collect data from 39 participants. The Dimensions of Empowerment Theory was used to describe the various empowerment outcomes. These include economic, social, informational, political, and cultural empowerment. The findings showed barriers hindering women’s utilization of telecentres included a lack of computer skills, education, language barriers, gender usage patterns, unemployment, and a lack of awareness. Our study contributes to the ICT4D/HCI gender field and suggests that ICT policymakers consider using telecentres for women empowerment.