Information Polity

2021 Information Polity

doi: 10.3233/IP-219006

Gasco-Hernandez, Mila; Nesti, Giorgia; Cucciniello, Maria; Gulatee, Yenisel

2021 Information Polity

doi: 10.3233/IP-219007

Feeney, Mary K.; Fusi, Federica

2021 Information Polity

doi: 10.3233/IP-200303

Research at the intersection of feminist organizational theory and techno-science scholarship notes the importance of gender in technology design, adoption, implementation, and use within organizations and how technology in the workplace shapes and is shaped by gender. While governments are committed to advancing gender equity in the workplace, feminist theory is rarely applied to the analysis of the use, adoption, and implementation of technology in government settings from the perspective of public managers and employees. In this paper, we argue that e-government research and practice can benefit from drawing from three streams of feminist research: 1) studying gender as a social construct, 2) researching gender bias in data, technology use, and design, and 3) assessing gendered representation in technology management. Drawing from feminist research, we offer six propositions and several research questions for advancing research on e-government and gender in public sector workplaces.

Macaya, Javiera F.M.; Ribeiro, Manuella Maia; Jereissati, Tatiana; dos Reis Lima, Camila; Cunha, Maria Alexandra

2021 Information Polity

doi: 10.3233/IP-200307

Electronic government (e-gov), a means of providing online public services, has the potential to greatly benefit all members of society. However, its advantages are often out of the reach of citizens who are digitally excluded. Drawing on socioeconomic and demographic ICT survey data, researchers have explored the digital divide and have concluded that gender is an important determinant of inequality. If we are to provide e-gov services that are more accessible to women and geared towards their needs, we must consider the digital gender gap. This paper explores gendered differences in e-gov service usage in Brazil. Findings on the disproportionate numbers of women and men seeking and using e-gov services, as well as the reasons for not using them, justify the relevance of gendering the e-gov debate.

Arshad, Saman; Khurram, Sobia

2021 Information Polity

doi: 10.3233/IP-200297

This paper investigates the continuous usage intention of an e-government service from the digital divide perspective, particularly the gender differences. To find out whether the gender difference exists, the case of income tax e-filing service of Pakistan was taken, and the data was collected by means of an online survey from citizens who have previously used tax e-filing service (N = 401). The collected data was analyzed using Welch’s t-test in IBM SPSS v.20. The findings revealed that there is a statistically significant difference between men and women with regards to continuance intention to use income tax e-filing service. Specifically, men are more likely to continue usage than women probably because women are more influenced by their social circle and the ease of use of system while men majorly prefer to use a system for its functional benefits and/or performance. This study contributes to the body of knowledge as the research in the area of gender gap in the e-government usage particularly in a developing country context is scarce. Finally, the results are discussed in the light of the previous research and some practical implications are also provided.

Sullivan, Katherine V.R.

2021 Information Polity

doi: 10.3233/IP-200301

Women continue to occupy lesser positions of power at all political levels in Canada, although scholars still argue on the accessibility of municipal politics to women. However, no previous study has systematically examined the gender ratio of mayors across Canada, as well as their (active) use of social media platforms in a professional capacity. Using novel data, this study examines the variation in social media adoption and active use by gender outside of an electoral campaign. Results show that there is a higher proportion of women mayors who have a Facebook page, as well as Twitter and Instagram accounts and who actively use them outside of electoral campaigns, when compared with men mayors’ social media practices.

Guevara-Gómez, Ariana; de Zárate-Alcarazo, Lucía O.; Criado, J. Ignacio

2021 Information Polity

doi: 10.3233/IP-200299

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a disruptive technology that has gained interest among scholars, politicians, public servants, and citizens. In the debates on its advantages and risks, issues related to gender have arisen. In some cases, AI approaches depict a tool to promote gender equality, and in others, a contribution to perpetuating discrimination and biases. We develop a theoretical and analytical framework, combining the literature on technological frames and gender theory to better understand the gender perspective of the nature, strategy, and use of AI in two institutional contexts. Our research question is: What are the assumptions, expectations and knowledge of the European Union institutions and Spanish government on AI regarding gender? Methodologically, we conducted a document analysis of 23 official documents about AI issued by the European Union (EU) and Spain to understand how they frame the gender perspective in their discourses. According to our analysis, despite both the EU and Spain have developed gender-sensitive AI policy frames, doubts remain about the definitions of key terms and the practical implementation of their discourses.

Buyannemekh, Battulga; Chen, Tzuhao

2021 Information Polity

doi: 10.3233/IP-219005

The objective of this country report is to apply a gender lens to examine the development of digital governance in two democratic countries in the Asia-Pacific: Mongolia and Taiwan. By studying various contextual factors and presenting interpretations associated with gender and the process of digital transformation in these two countries, this research underscores the gender-based differences in ICT usage based on the available data from governmental and other official sources. The paper concludes with possible e-government practices that can help mitigate digital gender divide and transition to gender-sensitive, evidence-based policymaking that serves both genders.

Dubois, Elisabeth

2021 Information Polity

doi: 10.3233/IP-219003

Arniani, Marta

2021 Information Polity

doi: 10.3233/IP-219004