Gender in the Information Society: Strategies of Inclusion

Abstract

This article reports from a European study on efforts to close a gendered digital divide through inclusion. The authors argue that inclusion is not just a mirror image of exclusion, and that to achieve inclusion, it is not sufficient to curb exclusion mechanisms but to enhance positive measures of inclusion. A variety of inclusion strategies have been studied, the authors concluding that ‘one size does not fit all’. Therefore, to reach a wide audience, a combination of many different strategies is needed. More women users are not sufficient to increase women’s influence on ICT development, however. Particular measures are needed to recruit more women into the ICT profession and to curb marginalization within the profession.