CONFRONTING THE RESEARCH TERRAIN OF WOMEN’S USE OF ICT IN ZAMBIA

ABSTRACT

The process of research is one of constant learning and openness to new ideas and experiences. Through the research objective, the researcher interacts with the environment that embodies the research focus and establishes truths from the experience and becomes a part of the known truth. The GRACE Research Zambia Project was characterized by the following elements; Respondents, Object of Research and the Research methodology. These elements define the research terrain of the Zambia project. Overcoming the obstacles in the terrain yielded valuable lessons.

 

 

 

CONFRONTING THE RESEARCH TERRAIN OF WOMEN'S USE OF ICT IN ZAMBIA

 

Introduction

The process of research is one of constant learning and openness to new ideas and experiences. Through the research objective, the researcher interacts with the environment that embodies the research focus and establishes truths from the experience and becomes a part of the known truth. The conclusions or revelations of the research process are carved by the interaction between the researcher and the research environment.

 

GRACE Research Zambia Project Research process revealed that Women's Effective adaptation of the Mobile Cellular Phone for Progressive Communication can contribute to Enhancement of women and Women's Empowerment Organisations in Zambia. The Research objective was to establish how members of the NGOCC Women's Network in Zambia utilize Mobile Cellular Phone Services in their work to Advance the status of Zambian Women.

 

The GRACE Research Zambia Project Research process involved Qualitative Action Research methodologies

 

The Research process identified respondents and structured the group in two classifications as follows;

1. Women leaders of the NGOCC Network
   
2. Respondents with background information on the system of Mobile Cellular Phone Service provision.
   

 

The main body of the research findings is determined by the 1^st classification which includes 5 women leaders of the NGOCC network from 5 separate NGOCC Member Organizations with separate mandates and a common interest in empowerment of women. This classification gives detailed personal accounts of how women in this sector use the Mobile Cellular phone as a tool for communication both in their lives and collectively within networks; their insights shed light on the personal experiences that characterize women in this group.

 

The second Classification mainly includes officials from Mobile Cellular Phone Service Provision Companies, the Competitions Commission of Zambia and an official from the National Communication Regulation body the Communications Authority of Zambia CAZ. This classification mainly gives technical insight in the systems of service delivery and the possibilities for change both possible and intentioned.

 

Throughout the research process, a participatory process with respondents was utilized based on acceptance of the understanding that Social innovations succeed when social sectors play a role and intentionality of women users is complex and undeterminable; Only the general sense indicating patterns was considered through a rigorous process informed by a selection of Qualitative Action Research methods that encompass the general GRACE Research methodology process.

These methods include;

• The Free Attitude interview
  
• Appreciative Inquiry
  
• Writing, reading and feedback exercises through the Probing depth analysis(Exercising a reflective stance)
  
• Literature Reviews
  

 

The respondents where active participants in the research process and they gave their consent and endorsement of the research process.

Research dilemmas and Alleviation

Highlighting experiences of confronting the Research dilemmas gives greater insight on the lessons learnt and lessons that can be shared with other Researchers doing similar work.

 

 

The Research platform

 

The research environment that underscored the GRACE Research Zambia Project was characterized by the following elements;
Respondents, Object of Research and the Research methodology. These elements define the research terrain of the Zambia project.

 

• Respondent
  

  The respondent base was characterized by two classifications of respondents;
  

 

1. Respondents with background information on the system of mobile Cellular phone Service provision.
   

   This category included officials from Mobile Cellular Phone Service Providers, officials from a Government regulating Authority and selected communications specialists.
   

   
    

2. Women leaders of the NGOCC Network
   

   This comprised 5 women leaders of member organizations of the NGOCC Network.
   

   
    

 

Classification: 1

 

Government Departments: Slow Yields

 

It is generally difficult to collect information from Government institutions in Zambia because of their bureaucratic organizational systems. They do not have effective data retention systems and specific information on the status of women in relation to access to ICTs.

 

Institutional and valuable data is usually in the custody of long serving individuals and selected experts or professionals (NGOCC 2004)

 

Oral history in most cases becomes the best methodological option for extraction of valuable information from individuals.

 

 

Mobile Cellular Phone Service Providers: Fear of Infiltration

 

Conducting Research with a Mobile Cellular Phone Service provider is challenging. They instill measures to prevent from infiltration of competitor service providers by concealing information on practices to the extent that they will avoid any conversations with an external researcher. This occurred with MTN when they failed to meet appointments made by the GRACE Research Zambia Researcher on five occasions over a period of one year. To date, the meeting has not taken place. The extent of their barrier is the creation of their own internal intelligence marketing departments whose aim is to decipher private information of their competitors and inflict counter measures to gain competitive advantages (Internal Source).

 

The best data sources on the characteristics of mobile service provision and its influence on women users are the mobile service providers themselves. The stringent measures they create to insure impenetrability are a stumbling block to many institutions that could use this wide knowledge to enhance women's progress.

 

Allaying fears and working through internally placed individuals can prove valuable in extracting valuable internal information.

 

 

Classification: 2

 

Women's Networks: Fortified

 

There is a lack of constant cohesion among women's networks in Zambia.

 

Only when a pressing issue of common interest arises do they collaborate to advocate collectively.

However, in a general sense, unspoken tensions exist between women's organizations that are members of women's networks. These tensions may include suspicion of other organizations collaborating with policy making organs of government that generally pass policy that does not benefit women, (The underlying observation of Kate Young in an essay titled Planning from a Gender Perspective in The Women, Gender and Development reader is that Women's NGOs may not completely act on behalf of the people they claim to represent because they are led by a powerbase of people from the same Social stratum that is likely to be closed to ideas from other groups)
and tensions created by donor organizations as these organizations have to struggle for funds from the same donors to finance their varied organizational programs. An external researcher can be viewed with suspicion and denied an opportunity to penetrate this layer of protectionism.

 

The struggle for emancipation of women can be frustrating as the largely patriarchal society continues to block progress on many fronts. Officers in these organizations exhibit apathy and fatigue from time to time when confronted with a research questioning process like an in-depth interview on the subject of women's empowerment (Phyllis Chesler points out that women are harder on other women and this could explain their apathy of the subject to a degree) and a 'what's in it for me' attitude tends to surface.

 

Absence of organized and relevant up-to-date databases on the status of women in women's Organisations continues to be a challenge for research.

 

The lack of cohesion is usually the weak link for these organizations and an influencing factor in failures to change mindsets and policy.

 

Resource wars and ideological mismatches among women's organizations must not supersede holistic women's emancipation.

 

To allay fears of infiltration and resource rivalry, the researcher could use the strategy of idealism to appeal to the idealistic principle of women's emancipation that binds all women empowerment organizations.

 

 

• The Object of Research
  

  
   

  The underlying need for the research was the need to understand the effect of the Mobile Cellular Phone as a phenomenon affecting women's empowerment in Zambia.
  

 

The Mobile Cellular Phone: Amorphous

 

Research on ICT must strive to remain current in light of the fact that ICT innovations like the Mobile Cellular Phone guarantee the constant change of reality in this sector.

 

Even more challenging is a research focus that highlights women's use of mobile Cellular Telephony. This remains one of the fastest growing sectors in Zambia with constant advancements in technological formulations that guarantee changes in user trends from time to time.

 

Owing to the modernity of the tool, there still remains little background data detailing its extended social influence. Most of the data that exists remains speculative.

 

 

• The Research methodologies
  

 

Qualitative Action Research methods that encompass the general GRACE Research methodology process frame the knowledge construction process.

These methods include;

 

1. The Free Attitude interview
   

   
    

2. Writing, reading and feedback exercises through the Probing depth analysis(Exercising a reflective stance)
   

 

1. Appreciative Inquiry
   

 

1. Literature Reviews
   

 

The analysis of data is cardinal to constructing the knowledge that encompasses the research results.

 

 

1. The Free Attitude interview
   

 

When the free attitude interview is employed as opposed to the structured questionnaire driven interview, the researcher must be prepared to digest a multitude of data. The underlying principle in this approach is that the respondents' responses are information and must not influence conclusion to the extent that the researcher uses the respondents' analysis as the research analysis in the Research findings. A good companion to this interview technique is the Writing, reading and feedback exercises through the Probing depth analysis (Exercising a reflective stance).

 

The main challenge of this interview technique is its demand on the respondents' time. Considering the challenges of penetrating the spectrum of respondents outlined above, a measure of confidence and trust must be established between the researcher and the interviewee.

 

The ideal would be a positive mutual regard platform between researcher and interviewee as a prelude to the free attitude interview

 

 

1. Writing, reading and feedback exercises through the Probing depth analysis(Exercising a reflective stance)
   

 

The Writing, reading and feedback exercises through the Probing depth analysis (Exercising a reflective stance) is a valuable aid in assessing the kind of data generated in a free attitude interview; the two go hand-in-hand.

 

It demands a great amount of energy from the researcher as they must constantly exercise patience with themselves in answering their own question to achieve a greater clarity. This remains a major challenge as it may begin to take up much of the energy that the researcher would rather spend on other mechanical tasks.

 

Using this technique requires a flexible mindset and as an alternative to structuralized Frameworks, it provides an opportunity for the researcher to create their own alternative theories on the matter at hand.

 

It requires objectivity from the researcher if they are to avoid prejudiced opinions to seep into the truth of the knowledge created.

 

 

1. Appreciative Inquiry
   

 

An Appreciative Inquiry approach to a depth research must be a cautious one. In the case of women's use of the Mobile Cellular Phone and women's empowerment as a result, there are many issues to consider if the research process is to achieve resonating effects and maintain justice to the data.

 

In the first place, the Appreciative Inquiry approach disregards the elements of a phenomenon that do not work or negatively affect a community; instead, the approach is characterized by a specific focus on elements of phenomenon that affects a community positively or works to their benefit. It suggests that amplifying the positive elements will amplify gains and benefit the community of users of these elements than if the community worked to remove the negative effects by focusing on them.

 

This Principle's main challenge is the threat of obscuring the negatives for the benefit of the positives to the extent that the negatives continue to exist but only this time they are ignored and as a result they could exacerbate.

 

Adaptive preferences by women are practical results of appreciative inquiry principles practiced in society. The existing injustices towards women can only strive if they are continuously adapted to and women can only stand the injustices if they adapted to them and self-created positive meanings for them.

 

However, a beneficial appreciative strategy and positive application of appreciative inquiry principles is one where there is an exposure of the negatives and an adaptation to the current while the negatives are isolated and work towards their elimination continues. This calls for a cumulative process of improvement both at amplifying what works and eliminating what doesn't.

 

Summary

The process of research is one of constant learning and openness to new ideas and experiences. Through the research objective, the researcher interacts with the environment that embodies the research focus and establishes truths from the experience. The conclusions or revelations of the research process are carved by the interaction between researcher and research environment.

 

 

• Government Departments: Slow Yields
  

  It is generally difficult to collect information from Government institutions in Zambia because of their bureaucratic organizational systems. They do not have effective data retention systems and specific information on the status of women in relation to access to ICTs. Oral history in most cases becomes the best methodological option for extraction of valuable information from individuals.
  

 

• Mobile Cellular Phone Service Providers: Fear of Infiltration
  

  The best data sources on the characteristics of mobile service provision and its influence on women users are the mobile service providers themselves. The stringent measures they create to insure impenetrability is a stumbling block to many institutions that could use this wide knowledge to enhance women's progress. Allaying fears and working through internally placed individuals can prove valuable in extracting valuable internal information.
  

 

• There is a lack of constant cohesion among women's networks in Zambia.
  

  Only when a pressing issue of common interest arises do they collaborate to advocate collectively, they exchange experiences and share ideas. Resource wars and ideological mismatches among women's organizations must not supersede holistic women's emancipation. To allay fears of infiltration and resource rivalry, the researcher could use the strategy of idealism to appeal to the idealistic principle of women's emancipation that binds all women empowerment organizations.
  

  
   

• The Mobile Cellular Phone: Amorphous
  

  Research on ICT must strive to remain current in light of the fact that ICT innovations like the Mobile Cellular Phone are constantly changing in innovation that influences use and user trends
  

  
   

• Free attitude interview
  

  The main challenge of this interview technique is its demand on the respondents' time. Considering the challenges of penetrating the spectrum of respondents, a measure of confidence and trust must be established between the researcher and the interviewee.
  

  
   

• Writing reading feedback exercise
  

  It requires objectivity from the researcher if they are to avoid prejudiced opinions to seep into the truth of the knowledge created.
  

 

• Appreciative inquiry
  

  However, a beneficial appreciative strategy and positive application of appreciative inquiry principles is one where there is an exposure of the negatives and an adaptation to the current while the negatives are isolated and work towards their elimination continues. This calls for a cumulative process of improvement both at amplifying what works and eliminating what doesn't.
  

  
   

The obstacles in a research environment are not insurmountable, in fact to a greater extent they are enriching to the whole research process as they further develop the Researcher. There is need for progressive collaboration between Social Service advocacy initiatives and corporate interests in Africa. The Exploitative nature of such industries can inflict reduction in the gains of women's progress so far. It is imperative to study possible models for corporate induced sustainable Social Development models.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

 

137 women's ways of knowing: the development of self, voice and mind. Belenky et all (1986)

Buskens 2008

Effect of mobile telephony on empowering rural communities (Sinha 2005)

Mobile Cellular Phones For Zambian Women: Making Life Better. (Abraham 2008)

The thin Book of Appreciative Inquiry (Hammond)

Woman's inhumanity to Woman (Phyllis Chesler 2001)

Beijing +10 shadow report on the situation of women in Zambia (NGOCC 2004)

Fine lines or Strong cords? Who do we think we are and who do we think we can become in the quest for quality in Qualitative Research (Buskens 2001)

Women, Gender and Development reader (Visvanathan et al 1997)