Information technology education and employment for women in Kenya

Lynette Kvasny, Fay Cobb Payton, Victor Mbarika, Jing Chong

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contribution

3 Scopus citations

Abstract

Sub-Saharan Africa women have historically assumed the roles of housewife and subsistence farmer. However, with the global growth of information and communications technologies (ICT) and digital divide interventions, women are enrolling in university programs which prepare them for employment in the formal workforce. In this paper, we present a study in which we interviewed 32 women enrolled in an ICT program at a Kenyan university. The interviews examined the women's responses to the program as well as the women's experiences in seeking and securing ICT-related employment. Our findings indicate that women were highly optimistic, embracing ICT as a practical mechanism for achieving entrée into the labor force and empowering women. However they perceive significant structural barriers, such as gender discrimination in hiring practices, organization's inability to recognize their mix of technical and business competencies, and national ICT policies which did not support the growth in the technology sector.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Title of host publicationSIGMIS CPR'06 - Proceedings of the 2006 ACM SIGMIS CPR Conference - Forty Four Years of Computer Personnel Research
Subtitle of host publicationAchievements, Challenges and the Future
PublisherAssociation for Computing Machinery (ACM)
Pages114-119
Number of pages6
ISBN (Print)1595933492, 9781595933492
DOIs
StatePublished - 2006
EventSIGMIS CPR'06 - Proceedings of the 2006 ACM SIGMIS CPR Conference - Claremont/Pomona, CA, United States
Duration: Apr 13 2006Apr 15 2006

Publication series

NameSIGMIS CPR'06 - Proceedings of the 2006 ACM SIGMIS CPR Conference
Volume2006

Other

OtherSIGMIS CPR'06 - Proceedings of the 2006 ACM SIGMIS CPR Conference
Country/TerritoryUnited States
CityClaremont/Pomona, CA
Period4/13/064/15/06

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • General Engineering

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