Contextualized reflections on information and communication technology and on the empowerment of women

Resumo

This article deals with information and communication technologies (ICTs) and their role in development, and aims to understand how ICTs are used as a means of empowering women. This reflection was corroborated by a literature review that investigates the theme. Empowerment practices were observed in intra-gender relations through the use of ICTs in the transmission of technological skills, social and professional empowerment through training in the use of ICTs in telecenters, NGOs, cooperativism and extension projects, the possibility of reducing poverty through female entrepreneurship on the web and via Facebook and Instagram. As a phenomenon of the digital age, online social networks become important channels of relationships between entrepreneurs, suppliers and consumers. Cyberativism is capable of stimulating discussion about domestic and obstetric violence, incentivizing different sectors of women’s health promotion and care, as well as widening women’s influence on communication and changing the dynamics of domination in gender relations. Internet has enabled freedom of expression and opinions despite the control of large business groups. Their use can bring indirect benefits for poverty reduction if they are applied to strengthen diversity of social, political and cultural assets and help in the construction of more effective structures and processes that favor the empowerment of women, especially those found in the informal sphere.