Abstract

This study critically examined the access of women farmers to Information and Communications Technology (ICTs) as against their male counterparts. A total of 120 respondents were randomly selected and interviewed using structured questionnaires. Data collected were subjected to descriptive statistics, Chi-square and rank test. The results indicated that the women folk, despite their dominance in agricultural activities, were dominated in terms of access to and full participation in the use of ICTs. Chi-square analysis on the relationship between socio-economic characteristics of the respondents with their access to ICTs showed that age and education have significant relationship with the respondents’ access to ICTs. Kruskal Wallis rank test showed that there was a significant difference in the gender access to and the uses of ICTs (P ≤ 0.005) with the male dominating the female gender. Chi-square analysis revealed that age and educational background of the respondents had significant relationships with their access to ICTs (P ≤ 0.005).

Key words: Information and Communications Technology (ICTs), gender, rural, access, agriculture, development.