Comprehending ICT for gender empowerment in an aging context: digitalization of marginalized female elderly in the Global South during COVID-19

Abstract

ABSTRACT Focusing on the low-income elderly women in the Global South, our study situates the discussion on ICT for gender empowerment in an aging context. We aim to explore the role of aging as a biological and socio-cultural factor affecting digital adoption and usage by women in the lower rungs of their societies in developing countries. Grounded in an intersectionality approach, this study maps the dynamic and complicated landscape of their digital practices that are negotiated at the intersection of gender, aging, socioeconomic status, and local digital management policies. Through in-depth interviewing and digital ethnography, we particularly give avoice to the low-income elderly women in China, illuminating their constraining, yet empowering digitalization process during COVID-19. The findings reveal a distinctive understanding of ICT for gender empowerment from aging women’s perspective, shifting away from the personal advancement that typically dominates the agenda of their younger counterparts.