among women. Nevertheless, while the present research was localised to Nigeria (and civil servants in particular), the study was done in Malaysia and focused on women entrepreneurs.
Basavaraja and Kumar (2017) studied gender differences in the use of ICT by the students of urban schools. The objectives of the study were to find out the use of computers and Internet by the students and also the problems encountered by them while doing this. A sample of 500 respondents were randomly selected from 10 schools in the city of Bombay, India. A structured questionnaire was used for data collection. Data analysis involved use of simple percentages and Pearson’s Chi-Square goodness of fit test. The study found that there was a significant association between the place (p=.005) and frequency (p=.002) of use of computers and gender.
It is also found that there are significant differences in the problems faced by male and female students while using computers (p=.002) and the Internet (p=.004). The study thus concluded that there clearly existed a gender disparity in the use of ICTs by the male and female students in the urban schools. Though this study and the present research overlaps in the area of gender and Internet use, the present research differs in its focus on civil servants as against students.
of study while the various tools they used varied significantly with age, gender, faculty and level of study. Both younger users (<24 years) and older ones (>24 years) used chat rooms. Across gender, educational purpose dominated the use of the Internet, but it varied with age, level of study and faculty. Higher educational level was associated with less use of the Internet for leisure and entertainment. About 73 percent of the respondents considered internet information as useful while much less than this (44.4 percent) reported finding Internet information as trustworthy.
Though this study and the present research overlaps in the area of gender and Internet use, the present research differs in its focus on civil servants as against students.
Anunobi and Mbagwu (2009) sought to determine the prevalence of gender discrepancies in Internet use with a view to indicating its implication to women empowerment. The study was designed as a survey. Cluster and proportionate sampling techniques were employed to select five of the 18 Internet centres in the three local government areas in Imo State on which the study focused. Three hundred questionnaire copies were distributed to the sampled users.
Obtained data were collated and analysed using frequency tables, percentages and graphs. The result showed that female were almost at par with the male in the use of Internet though the female consisted mainly of youths, students, and people with secondary education& diploma.
Female students visited the Internet less frequently but stayed longer hours browsing. The study concluded that women used the Internet less than men due to implicit and expressed technological bias against them, traditionally imposed domestic pressure and some other cultural barriers. The study overlaps with the present research in that the two were interested in use of the Internet among women. Nevertheless, while the present research focused on civil servants in particular, the study did not restrict itself to any particular female group.
Adebo, Adekunmi and Daramola (2013) investigated the usage of computer and Internet resources (IR) among student teachers in Ekiti state tertiary institutions. The study adopted the survey design. A sample of 240 student teachers were randomly selected from the Ekiti State University and College of Education Ikere. A validated questionnaire was used to collect data from the respondents. Data analysis involved the use of frequency counts, percentages and Likert-type scale. Findings showed a high level of awareness of online resources among the student teachers; however, the men were more informed than the women. The Ekiti State University students, irrespective of gender, had more access to most internet resources than their counterparts from the college of education. Smartphones and computers from Internet café were the major sources of access to IR while networking, music and educational resources recorded the highest usage of IR. The majority of the students were not versed in computer usage as they accessed to it in the classrooms and homes. The significant challenges of Internet resource usage witnessed, (irrespective of gender) were inadequate power supply, lack of computer skills among teachers, poor internet connectivity, lack of skilled manpower and financial constraints.
Admittedly, this study and the present research overlaps in the area of gender and Internet use, however, the present research differs in its focus on civil servants as against students.
Adediran and Kehinde (2013) investigated Internet use patterns among student teachers in the Federal College of Education, Abeokuta, Ogun State, Nigeria, with a view to determining the type of use made of the Internet by them as well as the effect of gender on the use of the Internet by the student teachers. A sample of 230 respondents were randomly selected from final year students. A questionnaire known as “Internet Use Questionnaire” was administered to the respondents. Results indicated that getting information for schoolwork, communication, chatting
and social networking are the major use to which the participants put the internet. It also indicated that gender affected both use and feeling of pre-service teachers about the internet.
Based on these findings, it was concluded that gender was a major factor influencing use and attitude to the internet. Like the present research, this study was interested in women use of the Internet; however, the present research differed in the precise group of women focused on (i.e.
civil servants).
Wilson (2015) examined Internet access and use among female undergraduates at University of Maiduguri. The study was situated within the framework of the uses and gratifications theory. A sample of 400 female undergraduates were selected and a structured questionnaire was administered on them. Findings shows that the university computer centre (University Cyber Café) was the major Internet access point among the respondents. Research (information searches and learning) ranked first in the uses the students made of the Internet, with financial constraints as the major challenge to access and use. Respondents found women-related websites useful as they derived a certain pleasure from these sites. However, most respondents did not post or contribute material or information on the web. Their interaction with the web involved mainly downloading. The study concluded that Internet access and use status among female students at the University of Maiduguri and women in general would be greatly enhanced if women organizations concentrated on addressing the challenges(insufficient Internet skills/knowledge, financial constraints, and infrastructural constraints (slow and epileptic Internet facilities) identified in the study. While both this study and the present research focused on gender and Internet use, the two differed in the particular female group studied. The study focused on students while the present effort focused on civil servants.
Ojokoh and Asaolu (2015) carried out a study on the Internet access and usage by female students of Federal University of Technology, Akure. Situated within the framework of the uses and gratifications theory, the study adopted the survey design. A sample of 389 was randomly selected. Findings showed that only 3.4% of the respondents were not using the Internet.
Cybercafés were the most frequent source of Internet access, and most of the respondents acquired Internet skills through teaching by friends. The study concluded that Internet use among the students had become significant both in terms of number of users and frequency of use. The present study, while making a similar inquiry, however, chose a different group – female civil servants. Similarly, the study designed included in-depth interview.
Abubakar and Dasuki (2018) studied the relationship between women’s empowerment and ICTs.
It precisely focused on “the promise of empowerment” associated with the use of WhatsApp by women in Nigeria. It draws upon Sen’s Capability Approach (CA) to explore some implications of the use of WhatsApp mobile application on human development; how WhatsApp has empowered women by concentrating on the opportunities provided for expanding their freedom to participate in social, economic, and political activities. A sample of 600 respondents were selected from 12 states, two selected from each of the six geopolitical zones of the country.
Findings showed that WhatsApp can contribute to the empowerment of women by enabling their freedoms to participate in developmental activities; however, some contextual factors impeded the ability of the women to take full advantage of these developmental opportunities that WhatsApp offers. These included poverty, poor awareness and cultural barriers.