:: Netwoman ::

:: Thursday, April 28, 2005 ::

UK Children Go Online Project

Two new reports from the UK Children Go Online (UKCGO) project have been published today:

Inequalities and the Digital Divide in Children and Young People's Internet Use: Findings from the UK Children Go Online project (UKCGO survey findings in relation to internet access, low users and the digital divide)

UK Children Go Online: Final report of key project findings (a summary of integrated project findings with main conclusions and policy recommendations)Both reports, the press release and media coverage are available on the project website, www.children-go-online.net

:: Netwoman 10:09 AM [+] ::
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Computer and Internet access lead to success in college

By Banks Albach Daily Staff Writer

April 25, 2005
Home computers and Internet access are helping high school students stay enrolled, graduate and prepare for college at higher rates than students without these facilities, according to a series of studies by the Center for Justice, Tolerance and Community at UC Santa Cruz.

The 2003 study, "The Effects of Home Computers on School Enrollment," discovered that for every 100 teenagers age 16 to 18 without home computer access, 14 were not enrolled in high school. For households with computers, the study found for every 100 teenagers, four were not enrolled in high school.

A similar 2004 study by the center found that nearly half of high school graduates age 16 to 19 with home computers were enrolled in college, while the college enrollment rate for high school graduates without computers was one in four.

The results of the latest study, "A Nation Offline: Research into the Digital Divide," are preliminary, but they do show a small gain in enrollment rates among high school students without computers. The study also found high school graduation rates to be higher for students with home computers even when controlling for income and family education.

These results present a surprising opportunity, said lead researcher Robert W. Fairlie, associate professor of economics at UC Santa Cruz.

"I was very skeptical that computers made much of a difference in education," Fairlie said. "Obviously, computers can have an effect in the labor market and society in general, but now I am finding that there might be a role for home computers in keeping kids engaged in school and out of trouble.

"It might actually raise the rate of high school graduation," he said.

In addition to overall student success, in the latest study Fairlie surveyed five community technology centers in the United States and found that computers and Internet access are "keeping kids off the streets," he said. The study looked at centers in Seattle, Harlem, Lowell, Los Angeles and the California Central Valley.

Having a home computer and Internet access creates an academic advantage for high school students, said Henry Gutierrez, associate professor and acting chair of the social sciences department at San Jose State University.

Homework turned in by students with home computers is more organized, attractive and "creates a more favorable impression," Gutierrez said, reflecting on his experience as a student teacher supervisor.

"Clearly students with computers and Internet access are going to do better because they have access to more information," he said.

This access is essential to a student's academic toolbox and could be increased through special educational tax breaks, laptop loaner programs, computer donations and refurbishing programs, Fairlie of UCSC said.

Computers for Classrooms is a nonprofit that has been trying to bridge the digital divide by refurbishing computers for classrooms. After seeing the results of Fairlie's studies, however, company director Pat Furr decided to focusing on bringing computers into low-income households.

"What Robert Fairlie did was document the need, and get the message out, that we need to place more computers in student's homes," Furr said. "Children are twice as likely to go to college if they have a computer at home.

"The digital divide is not getting smaller. In fact, it is getting bigger," she said.

Furr started the Chico-based company 14 years ago with a focus on serving the schools of Butte County. It was motivation enough that at one computer per six students, California K-12 schools have the worst student to computer ratio in the country, she said. But now students with disabilities or who qualify for the free or discount lunch program are eligible for a $150 computer through Furr's program. Other low-income groups may qualify as well, she said.

This price includes a Pentium II machine with two hard drives, a 17-inch monitor, an inkjet computer and a licensed Microsoft operating system, she said.

"We use what we can and what we don't use we recycle," Furr said. "Any group having trouble accessing technology, we will help them. It's good for the environment, good for the donor and good for everyone."

Although Fairlie's recent research has been focused primarily on high school students, he has also studied the wider racial and socioeconomic details of what researchers refer to as "the Digital Divide."

In his 2003 study, "Is There a Digital Divide?" Fairlie found that less than one half of all black and Latino school-age children have computer access and one in four use the Internet at home. This compares to more than eight out of 10 white school-age children with computer access and more than half that use the Internet at home.

Asians have the highest computer ownership and Internet usage among all groups measured, more than seven out of 10 and more than half, respectively, according to the study.

The study also found that income is not entirely responsible for the divide. Among families with an income of at least $60,000, blacks and Latinos are "substantially less likely" to own a computer or use the Internet than are whites and Asians. Among adults with an income of less than $20,000, whites are twice as likely to own computers and use the Internet than blacks and Latinos, the study found.

In 2003, six out of 10 households had a home computer with more than half of households subscribing to and Internet service, according to the study. California has the highest numbers in the nation with seven out of 10 households owning a computer and six out of 10 subscribing to the Internet, the study found.

:: Netwoman 10:03 AM [+] ::
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CALL FOR PAPERS

Gender, Technology and Development
Special Issue
on
"Gender and Environmental Governance" Winter 2005

Across Asia, natural resource exploitation is accelerating dramatically as regions become ever more incorporated into the global economy. At the same time, structural adjustment programs and market reforms, coupled with the pressures associated with population growth, urbanization and commoditization, are reconfiguring patterns of natural resource governance at both a national and local level, with complex impacts on peoples’ lives. Within the development literature there is a general recognition that the environmental consequences of accelerated export-led industrialization and neo-liberalism have different impacts on, and in turn elicit different responses from men and women.
Throughout the 1990s, this recognition was expressed through debates regarding the links between environment, development and gender, particularly as donor agencies, governments and non-government organizations identified women as a critical component of sustainable development initiatives seeking to ameliorate environmental degradation and its negative livelihood effects as a response to gender-blind initiatives.

Thus, on the one hand gender-blind approaches to current decentralization and community-based natural resource management programs continue to exist, on the other, chief responsibility for care of the environment is being placed upon women. In both instances, the gendered power relations that underpin resource access and control are side-stepped.

This special issue of Gender, technology and Development seeks papers that put forward critical feminist perspectives on the intersection between gender relations and environmental governance in Asia in the context of contemporary policy concerns with decentralization and poverty alleviation. Specifically, the papers are envisaged to break new ground in this area in three important ways and contexts:

(i) GENDER IN THE CREATION OF LOCAL INSTITUTIONS: Papers will bring
attention to the gender implications inherent in the decentralization of natural resource or environmental governance as currently being encouraged by international development institutions and governments across Asia. While governments increasingly pursue programs to involve direct users in the management of natural resources, new patterns of stakeholder inclusion and exclusion are created, as gender stereotypes and assumptions lead the state to privilege particular social groups.

(ii) CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON WOMEN’S CARE FOR THE ENVIRONMENT: By
examining the complex contradictions associated with attempts to load community resource management on women in ways that chime with earlier ecofeminist writings, papers will critically examine community programs that assume women’s proclivity towards environmental protection and care. While some critical scholarly attention has been given in the past to the problems associated with assuming synergy between women’s interests and the environment, the feminization of natural resource management continues apace. In some parts of Asia, women are being deliberately mobilized to constitute the unpaid labor force to meet the demands of conservation projects under the banner of 'women’s participation', drawing on a view that women are the principal fixers of degraded environments.

(iii) PEOPLE’S MOBILITY: By recognizing people’s mobility and its
implications for natural resource management, the papers will depart from the implicitly sedentarist portrayal of rural livelihoods in much of the literature on gender and natural resources. This makes little sense in Asia where most peoples’ lives are marked by rural-urban or transnational connections shaped by global forces. Papers may address this important gap in the literature by highlighting how the links between gender and natural resource management are embedded in wider patterns of serial mobility and emerging cultural reassertions.

Please send your submission by May 20, 2005 to Ms. Anita Pandey Pant, Managing Editor, Gender, Technology and Development at Gender and Development Studies, Asian Institute of Technology, P. O. Box 4, Klong Lunag, Pathumthani 12120, Thailand or at gtdjournal@ait.ac.th . Papers required to be in the range of 5 to 10 thousand words inclusive of endnotes and references following the prescribed style of the journal available at http://gendevtech.ait.ac.th/gtd/gtd.htm.

Women in Global Science and Technology
204 Ventress Road
Brighton, Ontario K0K 1H0 Canada
shuyer@wigsat.org
www.wigsat.org
http://GSTGateway.wigsat.org

:: Netwoman 6:34 PM [+] ::
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American Sociology Association Presentation

Just found out about ASA paper. Here is the abstract - yes, there are some similarities obviously. Sometimes you feel like an abstract mill - same data used, different topics ;)

Domesticating the Internet: Household Internet Use and the Domestic Division of Labour

Most recent statistics in Canada indicate that Canadian internet use is highest from home, with 62% of households using the internet at least once a day on average from home (Statistics Canada 2002). However, this amount is increasing steadily. Given that many Canadians are utilizing the internet in the home, it is timely to consider what factors within the household contribute to daily usage patterns. The household has often been cited as contested terrain between women and men in relation to unpaid work and the division of labour. What effect does the domestic division of labour have on household Internet use?

Examining the Internet in the home must include a look at social contexts of individual household Internet experiences. For example, feminist literature concerning technology in the home is useful as a framework because it focuses on the importance of social roles, the hierarchy of these roles, and the relationships of power between women and men in relation to technological skills and use (Cowan 1983; 1987; 1999). There are often expectations that technology in the home (domestic technology) will be labour and time saving devices that alleviate women’s domestic responsibilities, but this has not been the case (Wajcman 1991). Domestic technology has not lessened the unpaid workload for women, and ultimately reproduces ideas of appropriate femininity (and masculinity). The structure of the household division of labour tends to produce technologies that replicate the status quo rather than challenge them. Is the household Internet any different? If indeed the Internet has become ‘domesticated’, we need to consider what this really means to household members, and whether the household Internet exacerbates gender stereotypes and the domestic division of labour, or challenges them. The household Internet may provide an opportunity to contest household roles, the division of labour, and the expectations that women possess less technological skills.

The purpose of this paper is to examine whether household roles and the domestic division of labour shape how women and men use the internet in Canadian homes by using a triangulation of methods; surveys, interviews and in-home ethnographies. The study takes place in a borough of a large Canadian city whose populace represents a wide range of ethnicities, socioeconomic statuses, and household arrangements - reflective of Canadian diversity. A detailed survey dropped off to 350 randomly selected participants were asked questions about their use of technology, location of household technology and how they communicate with their family and friends. A sub-sample of 85 participants were interviewed in their home, and asked semi-structured follow-up questions regarding their use of technology in the home. Participants were also asked to demonstrate how they use the internet, and pictures were taken of where the internet access point was located.

Given the plethora of research regarding domestic technology, there are a limited number of empirical researchers examining the household internet, particularly within the framework of domestication. What should be understood about household Internet use are the roles or the expectations that people have of one another in the household. Roles within the home are gendered, raced and classed, and are often reinforced and strengthened through social interaction between people (West & Zimmmerman 1987). Existing social arrangements, cultural conditions and practices that surround household technologies (Ribak 2001) are prevalent, and the Internet in the household must be examined with this in mind. Examining how the household Internet is becoming domesticated should also address how a technology shapes, and becomes a part of one’s gender identity, and how women and men often relate to stereotypical images of gender identity (such as men being technologically competent) (Rommes 2002).

:: Netwoman 10:33 PM [+] ::
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AoiR Paper Presentation

Ok, now the secret is out, people are getting their notifications for the AoIR papers. Mine's been accepted, so now I can share.

Private Spaces and Communal Places: Exploring the Ecology of the Household Internet

Most recent statistics in Canada indicate that Canadian internet use is highest from home, with 62% of households using the internet at least once a day on average from home (Statistics Canada 2002). However, this amount is increasing steadily. Where are household computers located? Computer and internet space is constructed in ways that suit the household. Where to place the computer, either in a private office in the home, or in a communal space, will greatly affect who uses it, and when they use it (Frohlich & Kraut 2002; Haddon & Skinner 1991; Aro & Peteri 2003). For example, when the computer is placed in a person’s private office space, it can deter his/her spouse and children from using it (Haddon & Skinner 1991). Similarly, if the computer (with internet) is placed in a parent’s or child’s bedroom, it is can be difficult for other household members to have access to it, for example when they are sleeping.

Some household spaces are more conducive to social interaction. Households are likely to put the internet in communal areas such as the dining room, family room, spare room or basement. As well, some places are more semi-private such as a study in which all household members can access it. The place where households put the internet signifies its importance in their lives, from communication centre (Rommes 2002), to information centre (Aro & Peteri 2003). Similar arguments have been made about other technologies such as the television. The physical position of televisions in the household, the incorporation of it into the daily routine and how it is incorporated into private and domestic lives will differ among individuals and households (Morely & Silverstone1990).

The purpose of this paper is to examine the implications of internet location in Canadian homes by using a triangulation of methods; surveys, interviews and in-home ethnographies. The study takes place in a borough of a large Canadian city whose populace represents a wide range of ethnicities, socioeconomic statuses, and household arrangements - reflective of Canadian diversity. A detailed survey dropped off to 350 randomly selected participants were asked questions about their use of technology, location of household technology and how they communicate with their family and friends. A sub-sample of 100 participants were interviewed in their home, and asked semi-structured follow-up questions regarding their use of technology in the home. Participants were also asked to demonstrate how they use the internet, and pictures were taken of where the internet access point was located.

This paper addresses where households have the internet access located, the reasons for placing it there, and examines how the location of the internet access is situated within socio-cultural contexts of the household and influences use. As well, this paper illustrates how household spaces are reorganized to accommodate the internet, and how individuals navigate and organize themselves around internet use (Ward 2002). Early analysis of the data indicates that internet in communal spaces can be beneficial for household members because they are spending time together using the internet. While computers have been blamed for the decline of social interaction between family members (Putnam 2000), this research indicates this is not the case.


For example, surfing the web together for information (such as health, travel and leisure) in the Living Room is important to some families. Also, while communicating on the internet is often considered a more personal and private activity, this research reveals how households spend time communicating together - using Instant Messaging and Webcams - with family members outside the household, both locally and globally. This is particularly the case for immigrants, who rely on internet communication to maintain family ties. Moreover, despite the location of internet access in more private spaces of bedrooms and offices, household members are still inclined to share the space with others in order to access information and communicate with people outside the home.

To date, there are a limited number of empirical researchers examining the notions of ‘space and place’ of the household internet. There is a complex process occurring between the household internet and its members; household structures are changing, time is spent differently, and relationships are becoming more diverse. This research illustrates how people resourcefully manage household spaces, how they interpret what is happening in the home, how they construct and improvise their household internet activities, and make decisions regarding the household internet from moment-to-moment.

:: Netwoman 10:28 PM [+] ::
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Busy People

Canadian Heather Menzies has just published a new book called No
Time: Stress and the Crisis of Modern Life (Douglas and McIntyre, 2005).

Menzies is one of the most trenchant feminist critics of technology in Canada. I reviewed the book for the Globe and Mail this past Sat., the entire review is at by Leslie Regan Shade

Excerpt:
'Mom, you work too hard," my teenage daughter tells me. "You never stop . . .
you carry that laptop around with you, even while you're watching TV."

"Well," I say defensively, "I just told someone I would get back to them on something . . . and a student e-mailed me about her paper topic, so I should respond . . ."

I fear I'm one of those multi-tasking, high-achieving and frequently frazzled adults to whom Heather Menzies refers in her compellingly honest and evocative book, No Time: Stress and the Crisis of Modern Life. Like the Canadian academics she studied on a time-use survey, I find myself seduced and sucked up in the thrill and flotsam of e-mail to colleagues near and far away, to the rush of roaring across an ocean to another gab-fest conference, to the inevitable time-suck of managing grants and students and juggling administrivia.

So, for many of us, Menzies's latest book will be an urgent wake-up call to slow down, reflect on our family and work priorities, and talk among ourselves. It's often not until the infrastructure -- whether physical or emotional -- breaks down that we engage in inner contemplation and a renewal of community connections.

:: Netwoman 1:59 PM [+] ::
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Gender & ICT Policy Website

PRAGUE, Czech Republic -- Gender and technology activists, the APC WNSP,have launched a new information and communications technology (ICT) policy portal for women and policy-makers.

ICT policy is not just about legislation of infrastructure and operators. Good ICT policy can promote economic empowerment. It can counter the negative uses of ICTs, such as trafficking of women.

GenderIT.org promotes the need for gender advocacy in ICT policy as well as the "how to" of pushing for policy change.

With the growth of infrastructure and access, ICTs are beginning to permeate even the most isolated regions. Access or lack of access to a medium that in some places has become a principal means of expression, economic survival, and decision-making is vital for women. Kofi Annan, Secretary General of the United Nations, has observed that: "There is no tool for development more effective than the empowerment of women."

However, the gender implications of ICT policy are seldom taken into consideration.

The Association for Progressive Communications Women's Networking Support Programme (APC WNSP) developed GenderIT.org to broaden awareness of gender and ICTs and to offer a practical tool for ICT advocates, especially women’s organisations and movements to ensure that ICT policy meets their needs and does not infringe on their rights.

"ICTs can assist in bringing food to the table or in promoting a reproductive rights agenda," says Ruth Ojiambo Ochieng of the ISIS - Women's International Cross-Cultural Exchange in Uganda and a member of the APC WNSP's worldwide network.

http://www.GenderIT.org

:: Netwoman 1:54 PM [+] ::
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Bits O'Blog - Catching Up

BlogHer Conference - looks interesting and I am thinking of going...

Need a conference paper? Check out what the busy beavers at MIT have been doing.

GameGirlAdvance has a new 'diary' over at GameGirlDiaries - looks good

From Ann comes Silk to Microcontrollers

Educational stuff to think about - WordPress in Higher Education and WOW - a program that will grade my essays for me. Look at this! Teacher's leave grading up to the computer. It takes a sociologist to think of this.

Robots with attitude over at Future Now...Humanoids with Attitude here

:: Netwoman 11:35 PM [+] ::
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I am a bad bad (but busy) blogger...

I received an email from a good friend asking if I was ok because I hadn't blogged in such a long time. I checked my blog - I checked my calendar - can someone tell me what happened to the month of March and half of April?

I had noticed that I have been uber-busy, but where did the time go? I just finished teaching two course at the Unviersity of Toronto - one on Cyberculture, and the other Gender and ICT. Both were good courses with good students, and I am still grading and preparing exam material. I am also teaching two courses this spring - one at Brock (Cyberculture) and another at U of T (Gender & Higher Education) - so I am preparing course material. Did I mentioned that I was a teaching assistant for two other courses as well?

This term was also the time where data collection for my dissertation continued, and most of it is done now; surveys n=350 (data just about cleaned) and interviews n=85 (are being transcribed now). My dissertation is part of the Connected Lives Project, SSHRC funded project headed by Prof. Barry Wellman. I am responsible for orchestrating the interview process, organizing participants and interviewers and managing the data and transcribers. It's amazing how time consuming that was/is in addition to interviewing participants.

So now, the analysis of the survey data begins, and the coding of interviews soon enough. Blurky has been helping AnswerGirl and I with the basics, since we are QualitativeDivas and not so stats-saavy. With any luck (and sheer determination), I will be able to write a couple chapters of my dissertation this summer. Job market in the Fall - if you have any leads, let me know!

In other news, I will be presenting some results at the Canadian Sociology and Anthropology Association and the American Sociology Association this summer, and with any luck the AoIR in October. Next week I am giving a lecture at KMDI, and will present some prelim findings.

The term has been quite busy, and my Bloglines tells me that I haven't been reading my favourite blogs either. No worries, with a friendly reminder - I am back on the blogging wagon and and back in the proper space-time continuum (daylight savings and all).

:: Netwoman 11:03 PM [+] ::
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