Third International Conference on Communication & Media Studies

Abstract

The numerical strength of women in Nigeria and opportunities open to them to access and utilize ICTs for political empowerment has not substantially transformed into a commensurate and effective political participation or representation of women at the governance level. Accessing ICT resources therefore does not automatically guarantee attaining political empowerment for women. The study discusses the prospects and challenges of accessing and utilizating ICT for women’s political empowerment with the primary objective to identify how women can access and utilize ICT skills for political empowerment. This study is anchored on the power and empowerment theory of communication and the participatory model of communication for development. The survey method is adopted for the study with the questionnaire as an instrument of data collection. Findings revealed that ICT literacy alone, or its access and utilization, does not guarantee that women attain political empowerment due to other challenges, including socio-cultural issues, traditional beliefs, harmful cultural practices, social barriers, and discriminatory policies that inhibit women from political participation. Findings also reveal that ICTs have not contributed significantly to the political fortunes of women in Nigeria generally. The study recommends, amongst others, that women need to contact and network, through the utilization of ICTs for support and to share ideas, experiences, and information that can empower them politically.