Women and Business

In Europe there has been a vivid growth of many attempts to try to lure young women into gaining experience with science and technology, the European government is playing a comparison game that challenges women to actually embrace the male mushroomed professional oasis. The question of women embracing technology in business has been mooted in all the spheres of life across continental Europe. Special events for girls and women have been organised by participants’ world wide, though with minimal disputes emanating from some quarters.

Experts have also highlighted the positive aspect of bringing women together. At rare circumstances have women been found in larger situation due to issues of segregation. Women empowerment is somehow trying to narrow the gender gap that overtly dominated by male. Modern trends now indicate that organisations are shifting into providing women with access to senior positions and regard work life balance as a common problem instead of as a personal restriction Blackburn & Jarman (2004)

Due to better working conditions in the public sector in comparison to the private sector, published data on 15 European countries indicate that 34% of female researchers work in higher education and 31 % in the government are relatively higher compared to 15 % of women working in the private business sector. However, a large percentage of any women are rationally opting out of the sector, where paraphernalia’s are rather low and competitions beyond their accommodation Gerson (2004).

Conditions of doing business have harbored a leaky pipeline that filters out lucrative women professionals. The implicit here has seen a few fellows, surviving the ladder to senior positions in the business sector. Consequently, the ripple effect on the lives of people is a big welcome although the social, cultural and financial costs have been underestimated. Experience they say is the best teacher, owing to discrepancy between lived experience and organisanitional discourse on gender equality is a prerequisite into changing organisational practice and its core value system.

The study of rural telecentres makes reference to the technological revolution that is totally changing the way the world communities do business. A critical theme in all three of the following case studies is that these have information and communication technologies (ICTs) are just tolls. Their power to transform is not taking place in a vacuum. I each case it was the building of local partnerships and organization structures that made it possible for ICTs to make a difference. A rural telecntres would not happen without a strong management team and also government and community support.

Equally, the virtual trade mission model depends on local organizations to help identify potential trade mission participants. To make effective use of ICTs business need to have in place specific structures and ways of working. It is not enough for their marketing person to take part in a virtual trade mission; they also need to be capable of the intensive follow-up required equal access to the internet is the subject of a great deal of debate. The rural telecentres model in Australia is a good example of how isolated communities can work to gain access to new ICTs and get connected.

Women based business especially in common wealth is located in rural are where access to the internet may be limited or non- existent. Even urban businesswomen may have difficulties obtaining a phone like or may find the cost prohibitive. Many will need skills training to be able to take advantage of these new technologies. The high cost of purchasing the hardware ad software required are also issues that tent to affect women to a greater degree than they do male business owners simply because, in most countries, women have less access to credit.

These are all challenges that should be overcome by governments, financial institutions and civil society organization. What is needed is the political will that recognizes that these issues are of key importance to economic growth and sustainable development. Once women have more equitable access to ICT, they can use their skills at building and networking to develop their own competitive edge and way of doing business.