“ICT Is for Boys”: Unravelling Inhibitors for Women's Use of ICTs in Developing Countries

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Gender equality is imperative for sustainable development and for a fair and sustainable world (Boserup, Tan, & Toulmin, 2013; Tembon & Fort, 2008; UN Women, 2016) and empowering women and increasing equality are known as vital components to reaching a sustainable socio-economic development (Danjuma, 2015). The UN declares that access to ICTs is a prerequisite for increasing a country’s social and economic development and that the use of ICTs is one of the most important aspects to empower women and improve their position in society (Danjuma, 2015). ICTs increase women participation within different productive areas and improve their abilities and potentials (Elnaggar, 2008; Balakrishnan 2002; Best, 2007; Chib, 2011). It is thus important to make sure that access to ICTs is not dependent on gender and that women have the same opportunities to use ICTs as men have (Elnaggar, 2008; Best, 2007; Danjuma, 2015). However, there is a “world wide decline in the participation of women in the information technology (IT) profession and education” (Pretorius, Mawela, Strydom, De Villiers & Johnson, 2015, p. 346)