Web2.0 and it's contribution to women's empowerment

What excites me most about Web2.0 is the ability to interact and network with women from all across the world! Many of us may not be able to travel to Uganda, Iraq or India, but technology has the ability to bring those countries right inside our homes! Through this medium we also have the ability to reach out, support, motivate, and learn from each other no matter where in the world we are.

The solution Web2.0 brings to women’s empowerment is that of exposure to the issues of women around the world, thereby increasing the knowledge of those who access the site. One of my favourite quotes is that you can never grow unless you experience beyond what you already know… Web2.0 and WorldPulse allows women to shed light on their experiences, to learn from the experiences of others around the world and opens our eyes to the realities of life in countries different from our own. This knowledge is power and it encourages us to take a hard look at our own communities and countries. It also allows women to speak with an unedited voice, a confident voice. We KNOW what we are talking about because we live these experiences everyday of our lives.

Web2.0 is already empowering me in many of these regards… while the issues of women in my country are not as atrocious as others who must contend with genital mutilation, warfare and torture, we do have a big domestic violence problem as well as sexual assault. In addition, there are not enough women in politics and power positions (something that a Women in Politics program is trying to change). By enlightening me to gender issues, this program will help to spur me on in my own quest to make a difference in my country.