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The ‘Other’ Faces of Digital Exclusion

ICT Gender Divides in the Broader Community

Ankara University, Faculty of Communication, Cebeci, Ankara, Turkey, torenli{at}media.ankara.edu.tr

The aim of this article is to evaluate digital exclusion from the perspective of women in disadvantaged areas of society; these women are ‘information poor’ because of the disabling effects of their income levels, socioeconomic situations and traditional cultures. Digital exclusion of women in Turkey, with the exception of a small social and political elite, is giving off alarming signals. Inadequate personal professional qualifications combined with the costs of access to and use of ICTs are having a growing adverse effect on the socioeconomic lives of women. This article evaluates the possibilities to remove the inequalities in public usage of ICTs in Turkey, and looks at the increase of collaboration among disadvantaged groups and the ability of organizations to find a voice. The article concludes that rather than the market approach theory - which maintains that that where there is effective competition and adequate information, the balance of the price mechanism concerned with production-consumption of information is automatically regulated - an informed public can achieve steady development of its society. In other words, the article argues that if the utilization of ICT opportunities in disadvantaged groups is left purely to time or ‘natural’ market processes, the process of digital exclusion will continue to increase rapidly. ICTs have both qualitative and quantitative dimensions in their access and use. When these dimensions do not match, and where there are no mechanisms used to ensure that they do match, their usage and spread will remain limited to specific groups. Under these conditions, the problems caused by the present inequalities in society will reach new proportions.

Key Words: digital exclusion • ICTs (information and communication technologies) • ICT gender divide • knowledge society • WNGOs (women’s non-governmental organizations)

European Journal of Communication, Vol. 21, No. 4, 435-455 (2006)
DOI: 10.1177/0267323106070010


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