Paper Type
Short
Paper Number
PACIS2026-1730
Description
This paper examines how women’s pre-existing intersectional conditions shape empowerment-related outcomes associated with an ICT4D intervention. Drawing on a two-week field study of Amul’s Code Unnati digital literacy program in twelve villages in Anand, Gujarat, we examined interviews, field observations, and informal conversations involving women participants, relatives, trainers, and community informants. Using intersectionality as an analytical lens, we suggest that the same training program is not associated with uniform empowerment outcomes. Instead, women’s access to devices, mobility, household power relations, prior ICT exposure, and social positioning shape what they can derive from the training. We identify three participant configurations: Economic Upgraders, Everyday Navigators, and Recognition Seekers, linked respectively to three outcome patterns: amplification, episodic appropriation, and symbolic appropriation. The study contributes to the women's empowerment conversation in ICT4D by presenting a provisional typology to understand differentiated empowerment-related outcomes.
Recommended Citation
Shrivastava, Vartul; Kumar, Mayank; Chandwani, Rajesh; and Panchal, Raj, "How Intersectional Conditions Shape Women’s Empowerment in ICT4D: A Case Study of Amul’s Code Unnati in India" (2026). PACIS 2026 Proceedings. 13.
https://aisel.aisnet.org/pacis2026/general_topic/general_topic/13
How Intersectional Conditions Shape Women’s Empowerment in ICT4D: A Case Study of Amul’s Code Unnati in India
This paper examines how women’s pre-existing intersectional conditions shape empowerment-related outcomes associated with an ICT4D intervention. Drawing on a two-week field study of Amul’s Code Unnati digital literacy program in twelve villages in Anand, Gujarat, we examined interviews, field observations, and informal conversations involving women participants, relatives, trainers, and community informants. Using intersectionality as an analytical lens, we suggest that the same training program is not associated with uniform empowerment outcomes. Instead, women’s access to devices, mobility, household power relations, prior ICT exposure, and social positioning shape what they can derive from the training. We identify three participant configurations: Economic Upgraders, Everyday Navigators, and Recognition Seekers, linked respectively to three outcome patterns: amplification, episodic appropriation, and symbolic appropriation. The study contributes to the women's empowerment conversation in ICT4D by presenting a provisional typology to understand differentiated empowerment-related outcomes.
Comments
17-General