THE VERY IMPORTANCE OF DIGITALLY EMPOWERING WOMEN

THE VERY IMPORTANCE OF DIGITALLY EMPOWERING WOMEN
INTRODUCTION
Digital Empowerment is the use of web 2.0 tools, digital media tools, programming tools and software applications to bring about the positive transformation of the economic, social, psychological, political and legal circumstances of the powerless.
There is this saying that when you empower a woman, you empower a nation. Digitally empowering women is very important, infact it is as important as the development of a nation. It is in the nature of a woman to nurture and groom. The development process of a Society, Community or State where the women can boast of a wealth of the knowledge and use of Information Communication Technology (ICT) spreads like wildfire and sky rockets.
There are definitely some challenges and a necessity why digitally empowering women is very important. Empowering women digitally is connected to the socio-economic aspect of development of the society. There have been inequalities prevailing for decades in some under developed countries especially in the rural regions where you find grassroot women hindered by their social and economic circumstances in having proper access to the use of ICT. From empirical scholars, it has been observed that women use the ICT tools lesser than the men and this is known as “the gender digital divide”. Therefore, because of this “gender digital divide” caused by gender inequality and marginalization which relegates them to domestic activities only, digitally empowering women can bring about gender equality through exposure and proper awareness to the use of ICT and a total stop of domestic violence on women.
Important issues that need to be looked into to effectively and efficiently digitally empower women are: In Nigeria especially Owerri in Imo State I know of; an average woman to some extent has an internet enable phone but their use online is unproductive, the awareness factor of achieving productivity is very poor; most of the online digitally empowerment organizations are yet to be properly brought to the people’s notice. Many people are not yet informed of the existence these groups. For example, the Nigerian YOUWiN program for the Nigerian women and youths empowerment; most people think it is a political campaign terminology; they are yet to feel the impact. The Nigerian country of 167 million people resident and only 26,000 jobs in three (3) whole years have been created through the YOUWiN program as announced by the President on November 2013.
In summary, digital empowerment is all about voices; intelligent and visionary voices, calculated actions leading to positive transformations with the use of ICT tools especially in the socio-economic circumstances of women. I personally want to see women entrepreneurs in the untapped ICT careers. Digital empowerment of women is very important because it can be applied to support women and community empowerment process even in the world at large.