Name: CHARITY KAITETSI AMUNSIIMIRE

Student ID: 2022472046

Mid Term Exam (15%): ICT Use and Community Development
Date: 16TH JANUARY 2023 Winter Session

1)In Dijk’s book “The Deepening Divide: Inequality in the Information Society” we are introduced to
a basic framework that represents the author’s core argument on the cause and consequences of digital
divide embedded in five core components and their relationships which constitute the process of
creating the information and communication inequality.
1.1 These core components include:
1. Personal and positional categorical inequalities; Personal categorical inequalities include;
age/generation (young-old),Sex/Gender (male-female),race/ethnicity (black-white-Asian-
Oceanian-hispanic- etc),levels of Intelligence/Cleverness (emotional cognitive,
social),Personality (Introvert-extrovert), health-ability among others.
Positional categorical inequalities include labour (employer-worker, employed-unemployed,
management-executive), Household (Parent-Child, husband-wife), Nations (developing –
developed; city-rural, citizen-migrant), Education (High-Low, in school-finished, in school-
drop outs).
2. Distribution of Resources looking at Temporal resources;time to spend on different activities
in life),Material resources (income, all kinds of property, computer equipment ), Mental
resources(knowledge, general social& technical skills, but digital skills),Social resources
including social network positions and relationships and Cultural resources which include
cultural assets such as status, credentials among others.
3. Access to Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) which include motivational
strategies to use in boosting digital technology usage, Material/Physical access which
includes possession of computers, internet connections and permission to use them and their
contents, Skills access which involves possession of operational, informational and strategic
digital skills and usage access considering the number and diversity of applications, usage
time etc.
4. Participation in Society considering social inclusion in or exclusion from certain fields within
a society like education, economy/labour markets, social networks and social relationships,
culture, politics, the geographical space, spatial arrangements and institutions such as
democracy &citizenship, social security (risk for the connected and registered, health
provisions, insurance etc. and so the less the access to digital media technology, the less the
chances of participation in these fields.
5. Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) Special Characteristics including both
hardware, software and their content putting into account the overwhelming ICTs purchase
costs, ICTs complex multi-functionality, the networks and the rapid technological variations
within the ICT industry which continue to pose a big threat to the ICT use, adoption and
adaptation.
1.2 i) Evaluation of the framework
 Name: CHARITY KAITETSI AMUNSIIMIRE
Student ID: 2022472046
Mid Term Exam (15%): ICT Use and Community Development
Date: 16TH JANUARY 2023 Winter Session
5
Characteristics of
ICTs

1 2 3 4

Personal &Positional Distribution of Participation in

Categorical Inequalities Access to ICTs
Resources society

The components above are an elaborate of the author’s core argument based on three main elements
of this book including the phenomenon of the digital divide as a sequence of different kinds of access,
the multitude of causes of this process and its potential consequences. This explanatory study of
causal-effect relationships is meant to help in finding digital divide intervention strategies to bridge
the inequality gap in the status quo of ICT presently.
Explaining this conceptual framework,1(Personal &Positional Categorical Inequalities) and
2(Distribution of Resources) are considered to be the causes of ICT inequalities while 3 (Access to
ICTs) is the phenomenon to be explained using descriptive unit of analysis and 4 (Participation in
Society) is the potential consequence or effect of the whole process which feeds back upon 1(Personal
&Positional Categorical Inequalities) and 2(Distribution of Resources) because participation levels in
several fields in society directly affect the relationships of personal and positional categorical
inequalities and resource distribution within a society. 5 (Special Characteristics of ICTs) in this case
is added to the framework as control/side factors or valuables because it doesn’t directly influence or
determine the type of inequality to be explained.
The author’s argument can therefore be summarized that; Personal &Positional Categorical
Inequalities in a society produce an unequal Distribution of Resources which cause unequal access to
digital technologies based on their special characteristics and content, bringing about unequal
participation in the society which amplifies categorical inequalities and unequal distribution of
resources.
Evaluating this framework in relation to the digital divide in my country Uganda, the framework is
appropriate because the valuables used have similar characteristics like in Uganda; the independent
valuables (Personal and positional inequalities), dependent valuable (Access to ICTs) and control
valuables (Special Characteristics of ICTs) which in this book have been elaborated in detail suit the
Ugandan current situation in regards to ICTs development. ICTs access is equally affected by
personal and positional categorical inequalities, resource distribution as well as ICT characteristics,
their content and associated challenges in Uganda.
ii) However, there are other components that I feel could have been more emphasized in this
framework to suit the Ugandan situation better which include;
The central role of government in supporting use of ICT through

 ICT use and rural community development initiatives/strategies. There is still a big gap
between rural and urban people hence the need for government to do Community Needs
Assessment for the rural population so that appropriate ICT programs can be rolled out.
Name: CHARITY KAITETSI AMUNSIIMIRE
Student ID: 2022472046
Mid Term Exam (15%): ICT Use and Community Development
Date: 16TH JANUARY 2023 Winter Session
 ICT Policy design and formulation issues. Policy makers become the back bone of ICT
development and a stronger policy committee on ICT required to build a strong ICT country.
 Subsidization of ICTs costs like internet which remains the biggest challenge to ICT use&
access. Uganda remains one of the countries with highest internet costs because of the
existing capitalist tendencies. There is need for public ownership of internet so government
can be able to subsidize internet costs to boost the ICT use. Pcs and professional staff are key
too
 ICT Digital Literacy through government sensitization programs still lacks and not properly
motivated. There is need for TOT (Training of Trainers) and agent of change strategies.
 Decentralisation- bridging rural-urban and preventing rural urban migration
 Other key players like NGOs, agencies, private sectors have a great impact on ICT use.
 ICT use and gender mainstreaming. Bridging the male-female gap in the ICT policy design,
formulation and implementation is a key success to ICT use in Uganda.
 Infrastructural development to support use of digital technologies including ICT tools and
infrastructure has continued to frustrate the access and usuage of internet at national level.
Limited internet coverage and accessibility, high costs of ICT tools and devices and limited access
to information. The local community is hit drastically because of weak network connectivity, lack
of electricity, and where there is solar it is not sustainable, absence of hi-tech consultants and
technicians to help in phone repairs among others.
 Our legal frameworks pertaining to security including intellectual property rights and user
protection policies. Uganda still has a big challenge of fraud in e- systems which discourages
e-commerce. The legal frameworks in this field are weak, incompetent and already consumed
by high corruption and bribery levels. Also, users aren’t assured of safety as there no proper
laws regarding protection.
Incorporating these components within the framework would help much better in doing more research
on these issues to find solutions to improve ICT use in the country.
2 .1 Top 5 Policies/Strategies most urgently needed in Uganda to overcome the gender digital divide
In addressing the limitations to closing the gender digital gap in Uganda including but not limited to
legislations ,lack of online safely and security, inadequate infrastructure development, Centre for
multilateral Affairs (2021) recommended the following policies for closing the gender digital gap in
Uganda;
Enacting gender friendly laws and ICT policies by integrating gender perspective into relevant policies
and strategies. This is because policies, strategies, plans and budgets that explicitly address women’s
needs, circumstances, capabilities and preferences are essential if governments, businesses and other
stakeholders are to address the gender digital gap in Uganda.

Digital skills training. There is need for the government in collaboration with other stakeholders, to
develop strategies that address the digital skills gap by organizing digital skills trainings for women and
girls to provide basic and advanced digital skills which could be included in apprenticeships, educational
and professional development programmes targeting women. While giving digital skills is important, it
should be followed by addressing issues of affordability. Gender equity programs can also be integrated
deployed in various training institutions starting from lowest to highest levels of education regarding ICT
where women would freely access them to catch up with their male counterparts. Free Public ICT facilities
access or even subsidization initiatives to women would do a whole lot.

Governments and stakeholders to do more on online safety promotion and protection. Many women are
often forced to go offline as a result of cyber bullying and other cybercrimes which go unpunished. In
Name: CHARITY KAITETSI AMUNSIIMIRE
Student ID: 2022472046
Mid Term Exam (15%): ICT Use and Community Development
Date: 16TH JANUARY 2023 Winter Session
order to promote equal access to ICTs by both men and women governments and technology companies
need to respond to online threats that hinder women’s access to and use of technology in Uganda.
Additionally, the legal fraternity needs to wake up to its call in providing the legal framework to online
business in-order to promote e-commerce for women too.

There is need for gender-disaggregated data on digital inclusion, including internet access and use and
participation in the digital sector. Gender-disaggregated data is currently limited, despite such data being
critical to understanding and measuring the digital gender gap and informing policy and business choices
that can help bridge this gap. Until governments and businesses are able to understand the causes of the
gender digital gap, they will not be able to find viable solutions. Therefore, gender-disaggregated data is
needed to close this informational gap. Digital inclusion indicators like skills, access, motivation, use
need to be considered.
Additionally, Women of Uganda Network (WOUGNET) in partnership with Centre for multilateral
Affairs (CfMA) are currently implementing a project under the theme, ‘Promoting Smart Policy Options
in closing gender digital divide in Uganda’ funded by World Wide Web Foundation. The project
intends to close the gender digital divide through policy advocacy.

There is need for change in the labor laws by the Uganda government through the ministry of Gender,
Labor and Social development to allow flexibility in working environment for women as a way to
encourage them have enough time for learning ICT skills.

In conclusion, in order to narrow the digital gender gap in Uganda, different stakeholders including
government, businesses, civil society, researchers, women and gender activists need to come together and
act on the issues that hinder women and girls from accessing and using ICTs and as this will encourage
more women to confidently and safely use digital technologies which in long term promotes economic,
social and political development since its benefits far out-weigh its cost. Gender digital equality is the
crucial 21st century emancipatory hope for all digitally oppressed, suppressed and marginalized majority
women and girls

Improving the access to information and enabling communication are the best ways Information and
Communications Technology could be used to help people in Uganda, not only women but also men since
they both contribute the nation building. The Youth too should be given a special consideration because
they are the biggest group in Uganda constituting 78% of the total population.

There is need for the African Union and its member states should adopt and implement the African
Declaration of Internet Rights and Freedoms as a guiding framework for the policy and legal reforms
needed to encourage innovation and freedom of expression online, protect internet users against
cybercrime and hate speech, and establish transparent, necessary and proportionate limits on state use of
digital surveillance powers.

There should be continuous research on how to close gender digital divide to be able to address current
and future of ICT by analyzing the global, organizational, individual levels while considering the
inequality types (1st, 2nd and 3rd orders) and innovations regarding ICT access, ICT use and ICT
adoption .Surveys, econometrics, analytical modeling could be used for research to help policy
makers in designing public policies regarding Gender digital divide.
……………….Thank you so much Professor……………………
References

 Centre for multilateral Affairs (2021). Matters of Gender Digital Divide in Uganda and
recommendations for Policy.
 Women of Uganda Network (WOUGNET) Women of Uganda Network 
Name: CHARITY KAITETSI AMUNSIIMIRE
Student ID: 2022472046
Mid Term Exam (15%): ICT Use and Community Development
Date: 16TH JANUARY 2023 Winter Session
 World Wide Web Foundation (www.webfoundation.org)
 ICT Use and rural Community Development Class Group Discussion