Strategies of Inclusion: A Case Study from Ireland

Abstract

This article is based on a case study that explored the introduction of new technology to community groups in Ireland. The initial aim of the study was to investigate initiatives to create gender inclusion, particularly for women. in the production and use of new Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs). The past decade has witnessed a growth of research in developing countries, as well as in the developed world, concerning the potential of ICTs in aiding women to exert an influence on matters that concern them. In part, this has been shaped by evidence on women 's exclusion from those tech nologies. While the current research coincided with a move away from gender-segregated initiatives on the part of Irish policymakers, social contours do not necessarily follow policy decisions. Among the ICT inclusion projects that were studied, gender-specific patterns have emerged through existing community group formations. This article looks at the rationale behind the move away from women-only initiatives and questions the implications both at the organizational or political level, as well as in terms of educative goals. It also highlights the tension between attempts to make technology relevant to participants and the forms of gender essentialism that can arise.