My Thoughts on Gender Gap

          It is ironic to see that gender gap still exists in this century despite many women equality movements in the past. According to the 2009 Global Gender Gap Index, Iceland ranks top of the list with a score of 0.8276. The U.S. ranks 31 in the index. The funny thing is that even the U.S., one of the best country in the world, still have some gender inequalities.

In “Gender, Information Technology and Developing Countries: An Analytical Study,” Nancy Hafkin and Nancy Taggart discuss the importance of technology in closing the gender gap around the globe. Two striking topics were mentioned in the article: (1) how can information technology be used to accelerate development and increase gender equity? And (2) are there barriers to women’s entry into the world of information technology?

In order to answer the 1st question, I would answer the 2nd question first: waht are the barriers to women's entry into the world of information technology? Well, throughout the history, many constraints and restrictions were put on women. The impression that women should stay home and do house chores has negative impact in the women's lives. Consequently, it creates barriers to women's entry into the world of information technology because they do not have the know-how skill. According to the article, the "digital divide" between women and technology could be reduce through education, improvement in IT infrastructure, increase access to the poor, and increase usage in the internet.

What other ways do you think we should do to promote gender equality in technology?