Abstract
The study explores the role of social influence on the adoption and use of technologies by women microentrepreneurs in the Global South, focusing on Guyana (South America) and Zambia (Africa). The study adopts a gendered perspective using a qualitative-led research design to contrast the types of technologies used in both countries. Semi-structured questionnaires were collected from 431 women microentrepreneurs across both countries to gain a general understanding of the types of technologies used within their daily business activities. This was followed by semi-structured interviews with 65 women microentrepreneurs to gain more in-depth understanding of the nature of normative and informational social influence and identify key social referents shaping technology adoption. The findings highlight that both normative and informational social influences – namely, village savings groups, peers, educational institutions, business partners, and customers – significantly affect women’s use of technology in areas such as payment processing, marketing, and access to finance. The study discusses the implications of these influences for designing contextually appropriate interventions to strengthen the adoption and use of technologies by women microentrepreneurs in the Global South.
Recommended Citation
Frost, D.,
Siwale, J.,
&
Henry, P.
(in press).
Social influence in Technology Adoption among Women Microentrepreneurs: Evidence from Guyana and Zambia.
Information Technology for Development.
Available at:
https://aisel.aisnet.org/itd_forthcoming/29