Women's
Organisations On-line
Discussion Starter
by Glenda Carriere
- There has been a lot of hype surrounding the internet and the WWW particularly with reference to its democratising potential and the opportunity it provides for individuals and groups to influence at first hand the political agenda.
But it costs lots of dollars to get connected and my concern is that women who, overall earn less than men, may not have equitable access to electronic communication.
Women's organisations particularly in the present political and economic rationalist environment struggle to find funding. Electronic communication with its hourly charges and high equipment start up costs can be beyond the resources of some organisations – Has this been the experience of your organisation?
How difficult has it been for your organisation to get connected?
- My research has shown that many women's organisations have not been particularly interested in getting online for various reasons such as lack of knowledge of the technology, lack of perceived benefits, insufficient members with access to the technology etc.
How interested has the organisation been in getting connected?
- Electronic communication is not replacing other methods of communication. A major case study I have conducted on a national women's organisation showed that the organisation used electronic communication as simply another communication choice. Despite severe financial constraints and large communication costs as a result of an executive spread across 5 Australian states, the organisation chose the communication medium most suited to the message (ie telephone for immediacy; fax or mail for documents rather than email attachments, email for brief messages, etc).
Has this been the experience of your organisation?