Women in Africa: Leveraging ICT in Closing the Gender Gap through Ethics and Values
Significant shreds of evidence from literature revealed that women constitute half of the world's human capital. Shreds of evidence also show that women have the potentials to redress gender gaps if empowered through Information and Communication Technology (ICT) favourable laws, ethics, and values. Despite these important virtues, numerous investigations have shown significant gender gaps in internet use (23% literacy rate (48.6% pay gap (22% political ambition, educational outcomes, etc. resulting majorly from restrictions placed by customary laws, ethics, and values that failed to incorporate no gender sensitive ICT policies in Africa. This study highlights the strategy to leverage the economic empowerment of women in Africa through ICT adoption, and favourable ICT policies, culture, ethics, and values. The Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) was adopted as the conceptual framework. In this study, the authors explored a narrative review methodology of related research findings from peerreviewed articles to draw holistic findings that revealed significant information on strategies for leveraging ICT in closing the gender gap. Results show that gender gaps may result from women diverting time for circular works, due to unfavorable customary laws, ethics, and values, to meet family responsibilities or having less control over finances, which negatively impact their affordability of ICTs. Results also show that empowering women in ICT may advance sustainable goals, leverage their literacy abilities for ICT adoption; leverage ICT in closing gaps in gender discrepancy in sociability capital resources.