ICT AND GENDER DIGITAL DIVIDE IN IRAN

ICT (Information and Communication Technologies) increase women's media literacy, job opportunities and the possibility of tele-working and at the same time they support men's interests, traditional norms and existent values in terms of gender division of labor at the cost of domination women in Iran.

The aim of this article is to examine the opportunities and threats of ICT on gender inequality in Iran. Gender differences happen through a socialization process first in the family, and later on, the educational system. If women have not enough opportunities in terms of access to the ICT and job opportunities in the way that men do, any flicker of hope in improving women's social status in order to achieve gender equality is meaningless.

This article explores the relation between ICT and gender inequality in the educational system in Iran based on statistical evidence in three areas of some social norms and stereotypes, women's education and skills, and women's occupational position on one hand and the possibility of providing gender equality in the existing educational system for having equal access to ICT, on the other hand.

We identify several critical issues that must be taken into account in reducing gender digital divide in Iranian society. Our findings suggest four main conclusions: (1) gender digital divide has received less attention in Iran, (2) gender segregation will increase if not enough ICT improvement is evident among women. (3) Women are concentrated in digital jobs that are considered to be less skilled than those carried out by men, and this, in turn, leads to a gender gap in pay and training, (4) Educational system has an important role in both solving and supporting gender digital divide.