gisw13_chapters

has not been accompanied by strategies, policiesand specific initiatives that reduce genderinequalities.Depending on their use, ICTs may enhancewomen’s participation and strengthen their opinionsby stimulating their engagement in differentspaces. ICTs can also increase women’s capacitiesto perform in different realms. For this to be possible,training is needed in order to create awarenessof the power of the technologies and their possibleuses, including strategic uses for women with fewerresources.In this sense, ICTs are a challenge insofar asthey are a symbolic and political space, and key todevelopment and social justice. The active participationof women is fundamental for incorporatingtheir perspective and voice in new ongoing processes.Women’s participation causes them to becreators of different policies, with different waysof doing things, different ways of naming, differentplaces to talk and communicate, and different interactionsfor working and studying.Finally, the collective work of different actorsin this process – unions, public institutions andcivil society organisations – is key to the planningof processes which can take the shape of the concreteneeds of each group. While limited in scope,the training sessions are an example of the potentialof this type of actions if they are extended toother sectors through social organisations or publicpolicy.Action steps• From our analysis we conclude a need for thefollowing measures:• In order to face the new processes of exclusiongenerated by technological development, it isessential to promote unification between policiesfor the expansion, promotion and increaseduse of ICTs and policies that promote genderequality. Uruguayan public policies are not doingthis, thus awareness needs to be raised.• Public policies including a gender perspectiveshould be adopted by involving experts on genderissues or through joint dialogue and workwith the public offices responsible for the issue.• The initiatives must be designed consideringthe context, needs and specific demands ofwomen’s organisations. This requires the articulationof different actors – the state, unions andsocial organisations.• Further training workshops are needed in order tobuild, guide and continually support actions that reaffirmthe acquired knowledge and continue to enhancewomen’s capacities through the use of ICTs.• These could be repeated in similar fashion indifferent places in the interior of the countrybased on the existing infrastructure and institutions.■236 / Global Information Society Watch