Women and IT in Lilongwe

2019 ◽  
pp. 121-132
Author(s):  
Alice Violet Nyamundundu
Keyword(s):  
Gender Differences ◽  
Gender Equity ◽  
Cell Phones ◽  
Cultural Beliefs ◽  
Computer Hardware ◽  
African Women ◽  
African Culture ◽  
Widespread Availability ◽  
The Times ◽  
General Computer

The purpose of this chapter was to investigate and describe why women in Malawi and Africa at large are underrepresented in IT despite the widespread availability of IT through cell phones, institutions, and general computer hardware and software. Gender discriminates women in education and world of work. The gender issue is all rooted, promoted, and strengthened in cultural beliefs. Literature reveals that for their part, African women have internalized the so-called inferiority position through their culture and society. Critiques of these beliefs commonly agree that there is need for mental rewiring on gender equity roles. Women need to believe in themselves and shun the positional gender differences that are causing severe imbalances in education and workplaces across Africa. The findings led to the overarching conclusion that African culture is not really changing with the times and it pushes women on the edge. One recommendation will be arrived at; there is need to include to a larger scale gender equity and justice system in education and workplaces across Africa.

Women and IT in Lilongwe

2018 ◽  
pp. 3393-3401
Author(s):  
Alice Violet Nyamundundu
Keyword(s):  
Gender Differences ◽  
Gender Equity ◽  
Cell Phones ◽  
Cultural Beliefs ◽  
Computer Hardware ◽  
African Women ◽  
African Culture ◽  
Wide Spread ◽  
The Times ◽  
General Computer

The purpose of this paper was to investigate and describe why women in Malawi and Africa at large are underrepresented in IT despite the wide spread availability of IT either through cell phones, institutions and general computer hardware and software. Gender discriminates women in education and world of work. The gender issue is all rooted, promoted and strengthened in cultural beliefs. Literature reveals that for their part, African women have internalized the so called inferiority position through their culture and society. Critiques of these beliefs commonly agree that there is need for mental rewiring on gender equity roles. Women need to believe in themselves and shun the positional gender differences which are causing severe imbalances in education and workplaces across Africa. The findings led to the overarching conclusion that African culture is not really changing with the times and it pushes women on the edge. One recommendation will be arrived at, there is need to include to a larger scale gender equity and justice system in education and workplaces across Africa.

Significant Influences of Digital Literacy to Promote Gender Equity and Equality in Education

2019 ◽  
pp. 218-234
Author(s):  
Chammika Mallawaarachchi
Keyword(s):  
Gender Differences ◽  
Gender Equity ◽  
Digital Literacy ◽  
Quantitative Research ◽  
Learning Processes ◽  
Gender Inequalities ◽  
Digital Information ◽  
Information Economy ◽  
Digital Resources ◽  
Equality In Education

This chapter shows the importance of digital literacy to enrich the concept of gender towards inequity and inequality to use digital resources. Digital resources are significant areas of the digital information economy. However, it has been observed that opportunities are given differently to genders to use digital resources that can enhance skills and knowledge. Therefore, to critically understand how gender matters in digital literacy is tested in the digital teaching environment. The study is based on quantitative research to illustrate that gender differences are the main hurdles in the learning of digital literacy. The study has found that gender differences are initiated from classroom interactions and goes up to collaborative learning processes. Finally, the research recommends that the emerging gender inequalities have to be considered critically to initiate and facilitate gender equity and equality.

Gender in Computer Science

2011 ◽  
pp. 615-621
Author(s):  
Colette Wanless-Sobel
Keyword(s):  
Computer Science ◽  
Programming Languages ◽  
Gender Equity ◽  
Women Professionals ◽  
Cultural Context ◽  
Analysis Of Algorithms ◽  
Industrial Applications ◽  
Computer Hardware ◽  
Programming Software ◽  
E Mail

Computer science (CS) is defined in wikipedia as a branch of human knowledge “relating to computation, ranging from abstract analysis of algorithms and formal grammars, to subjects like programming languages, software, and computer hardware” (Computer Science, 2005). Computer science emerged as a distinct field in the 1940s and 1950s with the development of the first electronic digital computers. To limit computer science to just computer use or its knowledge bodies, however, is reductive; CS is embedded in a complex, unquantifiable cultural context, including socio-economic and gendering practice. Computer hardware and software are designed to complement and supplement human activity and processes such as warfare, industrial applications, information management, including education, the Internet, a knowledge commons, and most recently biotechnology. Although CS is typically considered neutral and scientific, its episteme and practice is androcentric or male centered, often to the exclusion of females (Herbst, 2002). Female attributes have not typically been associated with computer science or computers. Although there is general agreement that women are as intellectually capable as men in CS, the fact remains that women today do not have equal participation in CS majors, CS engineering, programming, software design, Web site construction, or computer repair. (Jepson & Perl, 2002). In the technetronic 21st century, when computers are becoming standard for education and in symbolic analytic jobs, women’s enrollment in CS has declined, and many women do not feel confident using computers for more than e-mail transmissions, e-commerce, and social interaction in forums or newsgroups. Women who do not have knowledge or confidence in their abilities to work in CS not only have unrealized potentials in CS but also are left out of employment activities. Reasons for gendering in CS are complex and debated. Socialization, overt and tacit discrimination, and epistemological plurality are three dominant explanations. CS industries, educators, cognitive scientists, parents, and women professionals in CS are some of the groups currently working to attain gender equity in CS.

Women helping women: outcomes of a South African pilot project

2008 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 162-177 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ingrid Verwey
Keyword(s):  
South African ◽  
Gender Equity ◽  
Relevant Literature ◽  
Pilot Project ◽  
African Women ◽  
Growth Strategies ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Successful Women ◽  
South African Women ◽  
Skills Shortages

PurposeThis paper reviews how women help women in the South African Women in Construction (SAWIC) organization to effectively participate in projects. In a pilot project partnering with industry stakeholders, the Development Bank of Southern Africa as incubator of SAWIC, further explored what support women contractors required to succeed, tested mentoring and coaching as part of enterprise development.Design/methodology/approachRelevant literature were studied and analysed, testing the views and measure of success of women contractors against existing models. A survey instrument was developed to test the constructs empirically.FindingsThe empirical testing of success as a construct indicated that women overwhelmingly view mentoring and coaching as key capacity building and growth strategies towards successful women‐owned construction enterprises, underpinned by preliminary indications of the almost complete pilot study.Research limitations/implicationsA limitation to the study is that it is based on preliminary findings and limited scope of the civil project.Practical implicationsGiven the excellent results of the Cronbach α and factor analysis, the instrument developed proved to be reliable and valid and could be used for similar studies.Originality/valueKnowledge sharing of lessons learnt in the joint initiative between government, the building industry, development finance institutions and women associations towards addressing critical skills shortages and gender equity.

scholarly journals Travel planning in men and women. Who is better?

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alessia Bocchi ◽  
Massimiliano Palmiero ◽  
Laura Piccardi
Keyword(s):  
Gender Differences ◽  
Search Task ◽  
Spatial Abilities ◽  
Men And Women ◽  
Travel Planning ◽  
Environmental Features ◽  
Planning Ability ◽  
Overall Performance ◽  
The Times ◽  
Lost Object

AbstractGender differences are often reported in spatial abilities, most of the times favouring men. Even during wayfinding, which requires planning and decision-making, such as choosing roads to take or shortcuts, men are in general better and faster than women. Although different interpretations have been proposed to explain men’s advantage in navigation, no study has explored the possibility that it could be due to men’s better travel planning ability. This latter has been recently identified as a distinct kind of planning that allows implementing an efficient navigational strategy in accordance with the environmental features. Therefore, the present study was aimed at investigating gender differences in travel planning ability. We compared men and women in performing the Key Search Task that requires to implement a strategy to search for a lost object in a wide imagined space. Results showed that men outperform women in both the overall performance and in some specific indexes of the total score. Men had a better travel planning ability with respect to women, outperforming women in configuring the planned strategy and choosing the best point to enter the imagined field. Therefore, men seem to plan the best navigational strategy and appear more cognitively flexible than women in adapting the strategy at the environmental features. The two genders did not differ in the time spent to solve the task. This finding suggests that differences in travel planning skills can contribute in explaining gender differences in wayfinding and spatial orientation.

scholarly journals Gender Differences in the Perception of and Willingness to Participate in Organ Donation - Experiences of Immigrants From Bosnia and Herzegovina Living in Sweden

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ferid Krupic ◽  
Kemal Grbic ◽  
Olof Westin ◽  
Eleonor Svantesson ◽  
Eric Hamrin Senorski
Keyword(s):  
Gender Differences ◽  
Organ Donation ◽  
Bosnia And Herzegovina ◽  
Statistical Significance ◽  
Cultural Beliefs ◽  
Willingness To Participate ◽  
Chi Square ◽  
Positive Attitudes ◽  
Organ Donations ◽  
Student’S T

Abstract BackgroundOrgan donation is a personal choice and many ethical, legal, medical, organisational and social factors are involved. It is possible to transplant some organs from live donors and others only from deceased donors. Nevertheless, the shortage of organs worldwide is a problem. Gender differences may cause decission and willingnes to organ donation. Methods A total of 60 informants (30 men and 30 women), born in Bosnia and Herzegovina and living in Sweden were available for follow-up. Data was collected by a questionnaire and statisticaly analysed according to the chi-square test, the D’Agostino-Pearson test for checking normality of continuous data distribution and, based on the distribution of results, Student’s t test or the Mann-Whitney test. Statistical significance was defined as p < 0.05.Results The result showed that significant differences between men and women was highest in the question about definition of transplantation (p<0.0001), information about organ donation (p<0.0001), knowledge about OD (p<0.0001), importance about OD (p<0.003), religious permitting to OD (p=0.0001), religious opposite to OD (p=0.0007), donate to a special person or not (p=0.0062), religion as factor to donate (p=0.0007). It was not better in question about having the donor card (p<0.0001). ConclusionsWomen were found to have more positive attitudes toward organ donation than men. Different socioeconomic factors, cultural beliefs, a higher level of religiousness, a higher level of information and knowledge about organ donation, as well as the ownership of donor cards, may result in a better perception of and willingness to participate organ donation. More knowledge of the religious understanding of organ donations and the reduction in prejudice among respondents would make the awareness and desire for organ donation even greater.

Mmapoo ga a nyalwe, the challenges of tradition versus modernity from a social work perspective

2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 61-76
Author(s):  
Mokgale Makgopa ◽  
◽  
Mmaphuti Mamaleka
Keyword(s):  
System Theory ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Figurative Language ◽  
Cultural Beliefs ◽  
Interdisciplinary Approach ◽  
Knowledge Systems ◽  
African Culture ◽  
Social Work Values ◽  
The Social ◽  
Indigenous Knowledge Systems

African culture and tradition are questioned and tested on whether they fit to be part of the changing world. This makes folklore an endangered species as most cultural beliefs and traditions are seen to be out-dated. The instruments used to measure these cultural beliefs and traditions are transformation and globalisation. Folklore, which is currently treated like an appendage to disciplines such as languages, indigenous knowledge systems and anthropology, is now targeted. The authors aim to demonstrate the synergy between folklore and social work in which the social work values and principles are applied and analysed in terms of the figurative language; mmapoo ga a nyalwe. The authors advocate for an interdisciplinary approach, hence the focus is on folklore, language and social work. The theoretical consideration for this article was system theory with its proposition that people are part of the system and their connectedness, wholeness and their feedback in the system is valuable.

Gender Differences in Perceptions of School Life and Self-Concept

2011 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 20-35
Author(s):  
Victoria Clay
Keyword(s):  
Gender Differences ◽  
Student Perceptions ◽  
Ecological Model ◽  
Cultural Beliefs ◽  
Self Concept ◽  
School Life ◽  
Social Emotional ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Perceptions Of School

It has long been argued that gender considerations are an important factor in educational outcomes for students. The impact of social and of cultural beliefs concerning the value of education has often been implicated in gender differences in outcomes of schooling. While social constructions of masculinity warrant scrutiny both in society in general and in education, a focus on the social determinants of behaviour and attitudes does not always allow for full consideration of individual factors, such as affective or social-emotional determinants of responses to situations. This paper discusses the findings of a qualitative study of student perceptions of quality of school life and of student self-concept that was conducted in six different Australian schools. The findings of this study show that as well as gender differences, there were differences related to the school location, the socio-economic group the students belonged to, and the age of the student. These findings point towards the need to investigate gender in schools using an ecological model of gendered perceptions of school life that can take account of both individual and environmental factors.

scholarly journals The perceptions of African women regarding natural menopause in Mamelodi, Tshwane district

Curationis ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 38 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gloria N. Makuwa ◽  
Steppies R. Rikhotso ◽  
Fhumulani M. Mulaudzi
Keyword(s):  
Women’S Health ◽  
Women's Health ◽  
Support Systems ◽  
Cultural Beliefs ◽  
African Women ◽  
Main Theme ◽  
Natural Menopause ◽  
Contextual Design ◽  
Menopausal Women ◽  
Health Support

Background: The majority of South African aging population are women, who spend late adulthood experiencing natural menopause. Despite the government spending billions of rand on different services for ageing women, menopausal challenges to African women still receive little attention.Objectives: The aim of the study was to explore and describe the perceptions of African women regarding natural menopause, in order to propose recommendations for health and social support systems for women in Mamelodi, Tshwane district.Method: A qualitative, exploratory, descriptive and contextual design was used to conduct the study. The population of the study consisted of menopausal women, between the ages 45 and 60 years or more, visiting the clinics for collection of chronic medication and othe rhealth assessment. Individual face-to-face interviews were conducted, using a semi-structured interview guide to collect data. Tesch’s method of qualitative data analysis was used in the study.Results: The main theme that emerged from the study was ‘attitude toward menopause’, which was supported by cultural beliefs and experience. The African menopausal women expressed the importance of health support systems that will meet their needs within their context.Conclusion: Women’s health programs and educational health information at facilities should include menopausal education to promote and improve health of all African menopausal women during their adulthood. There is a need to establish a women’s health support group network within communities to share menopausal experiences with peers. The training and education curriculum of healthcare providers should include detailed menopause in order to provide comprehensive, congruent care.

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