Technology as the Key to Women’s Empowerment: A Scoping Review

Abstract

Background: The achievement of gender equity and equality has been a long-time goal of many international entities . The main indicator for the goal of women’s empowerment, as part of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), has been to enable the use of technology by increasing the current access for women and girls across the globe. While information and communication technologies (ICTs) were initially thought to be neutral in terms of access and opportunity, emerging trends now indicate that the use of technology within society has significant social implications, specifically related to gender as a determinant of health. Methods : Using the Arksey and O’Malley methodology for scoping reviews, the following question was answered: What is the impact of information and communication technology (ICT) on the level of women’s empowerment worldwide? The primary objective of this scoping review was to identify the extent, range, and scope of evidence involving the impact and influence of ICTs on women’s empowerment. A total of 51 articles were analyzed using the scoping review framework. Results: The major themes that emerged from this review included: (a) the means in which ICTs have assisted in building the capacity and tools of women, (b) the manner in which ICTs have been used as an intervention in supporting empowerment; and (c) the approach in which ICTs can act as potential barriers and facilitators to women’s attainment of agency. Conclusions: The evidence from this scoping review supports the innovative use of current and emerging technologies within health care to connect with, engage, and empower women both within the acute and community settings. The extant evidence explores how ICT has played a role in the promotion and support of women ’s empowerment as well as supporting the development of health care policies and relevant programs.