Cinderella or Cyberella: what is the future for women in the knowledge society? Cyberella is fluent in the uses of technology, comfortable using and designing computer technology, and working in virtual spaces. Cinderella works in the basement of the knowledge society with little opportunity to reap its benefits. Promoting women’s empowerment through ICTs is one of the critical development challenges of the 21st century.

Nancy Hafkin and Sophia Huyer, acknowledged as leading scholars on gender and information technology, have assembled a stellar group of authors for this collection. Each essay in the collection depicts ways in ICTs provide opportunities for women to improve their incomes, gain awareness of their rights, and improve their own and their families’ well-being. Illustrative case studies from Africa, Asia and Latin America, show the global possibilities for women’s empowerment through ICTs.

Other Contributors: Sonia N. Jorge, Shafika Isaacs, Shoba Arun, Richard Heeks, Sharon Morgan, Maria Garrido, Raul Roman, and Vikas Nath.

Table of Contents:

1) Understanding Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment in the Knowledge Society; 2) Women, Gender and ICT statistics; 3) Engendering ICT Policy and Regulation: Prioritizing Universal Access for Women’s Empowerment; 4) Cyberella in the Classroom? Gender, Education and Technology; 5) "We Have Womb": Engendering ICTs in Education, The Schoolnet Africa Experience; 6) Improved Livelihoods and Empowerment for Poor Women through IT Sector Intervention; 7) Women in Latin America Appropriating ICTs for Social Change; 8) Empowerment of Women through ICT-enabled Networks: Towards the optimum ICT-impact Model