The Impact of ICT in Empowering Sarawak Women in Home-Based Business Communities

Abstract

In alignment with the sustainability strategy focusing on good governance, sustainable development, and racial harmony, this study investigates the access, use, and effects of ICT training on women in Sarawak. Its primary objective is to assess how ICT training benefits women in managing small home-based businesses. Data was gathered through questionnaires from 62 participants who attended training sessions in various Sarawak locations: Kota Samarahan, Sri Aman, Sarikei, Kuching, and Bako. This research holds significant importance for the state government, as it strives to increase the number of individuals with ICT skills and narrow the digital divide between urban and rural areas. The study reveals a strong consensus among respondents regarding the positive impact of ICT on empowering women, boosting their self-esteem, enriching their knowledge and skills, benefiting the socio-economic community, and fostering efficient management practices. The findings offer valuable insights into the effectiveness of ICT training for Sarawakian women engaged in home-based businesses. The mean scores for all variables indicate high agreement among respondents, with values exceeding four for each variable. This study underscores the substantial role of ICT in knowledge dissemination and empowering individuals, particularly in advancing gender equality. It suggests that ICT is an invaluable tool for successful training in rural areas and underscores the need for a systematic strategy to enhance ICT literacy.

Keywords: Women; home-based business; ICT; digital gap; gender equality

References

Ajjan, H., Beninger, S., Mostafa, R., & Crittenden, V. L. (2014). Empowering women entrepreneurs in emerging economies: A conceptual model. Organizations and Markets in Emerging Economies, 5(1), 16-30. https://doi.org/10.15388/omee.2014.5.1.14239

Ahmad, A. S., Muhammad, M. I., A Samad, S., Rabun, M. N., & Haris, S. M. (2021). Linking determinants
of the parents’ perception on the effectiveness of community-based rehabilitation programmes (CBR). A case of 4 selected CBR services centre in Seremban. Journal of Administrative Science, 18(1), 134-148.

Constantinidis, C., Lebègue, T., El Abboubi, M., & Salman, N. (2019). How families shape women’s entrepreneurial success in Morocco: an intersectional study. International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research, 25(8), 1786-1808. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJEBR-12-2017-0501

da Silva Oliveira, M. S., Fernandez Unsain, R. A., Morais Sato, P. D., Ulian, M. D., Scagliusi, F. B., &Cardoso, M. A. (2022). “Because I saw my mother cooking”: the sociocultural process of learning and teaching domestic culinary skills of the Western Brazilian Amazonian women. Food and Foodways, 30(4), 310-330. https://doi.org/10.1080/07409710.2022.2124730

George, D., & Mallery, P. (2003). SPSS for windows step by step: A simple guide and reference. 11.0 update (4th ed.). Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.

Ibnouf, F. (2019). The Gender Equality and Women’s Human Rights in Islamic Texts (Quran and Hadith).

Jainol, N. S., & Junaidi, N. H. (2020). Information Communication and Technology (ICT) On Service Delivery In Sarawak Local Authorities. European Proceedings of Social and Behavioural Sciences, 480-489. https://doi.org/10.15405/epsbs.2020.03.03.56

Syafila Kamarudin, S. Z. O., Bolong, J., Osman, M. N., & Mahamed, M. (2019). ICT development of community in rural areas. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 9(9). https://doi.org/10.6007/IJARBSS/v9-i9/6273

Kamberidou, I. (2020). “Distinguished” women entrepreneurs in the digital economy and the multitasking whirlpool. Journal of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, 9(1), 3. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13731-020-0114-y

Loscocco, K., & Smith‐Hunter, A. (2004). Women home‐based business owners: insights from comparative analyses. Women in Management Review, 19(3), 164-173.

Kosnin, A. M., & Lee, T. S. (2008). Pengaruh personaliti terhadap kepuasan kerja dan stres kerja guru. Sains Humanika, 48(1). https://doi.org/10.11113/jt.v48.244

Oladipo, O., Platt, K., & Shim, H. S. (2023). Female entrepreneurs managing from home. Small Business Economics, 1-18. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11187-022-00713-7

Philip, L., & Williams, F. (2019). Remote rural home based businesses and digital inequalities: Understanding needs and expectations in a digitally underserved community. Journal of Rural Studies, 68, 306-318. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrurstud.2018.09.011

Rashid, S. M. R. A., Sharif, N. M., & Md, N. N. F. (2022). ICT Usage In Empowering Rural Entrepreneurs
In Penang, Malaysia. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 12(12), 120-133. https://doi.org/10.6007/IJARBSS/v12-i12/15549

Women, U. N. (2018). Turning promises into action. Gender equality in the, 2030.

Sulaiman, S., & Halamy, S. (2021). ICT education as a catalyst to bridge digital divide: The roles of UiTM Sarawak in rural areas. International Journal of Advanced Research in Education and Society, 3(2), 174-181.

Semenski, S., Harte, A., & Preradović, N. M. (2017). Service-Learning and Digital Technologies. Integrating ICT in Society, 283-289. https://doi.org/10.17234/INFUTURE.2017.28

Shanthi, S., & Sai Mitravinda, K. (2020). Gender equality the need of the hour. International Journal of Language, Literature and Culture, 1(1), 1-4.

Sicat, M., Xu, A., Mehetaj, E., Ferrantino, M., & Chemutai, V. (2020). Leveraging ICT technologies in closing the gender gap. World Bank, Washington, DC. 1-45. https://doi.org/10.1596/33165

Singh, S., Singh, S., & Kumar, A. (2018). Women and ICT: A study on access and perceptions in north India. Indian Journal of Human Development, 12(3), 401-419. DOI: 10.1177/0973703018818588

Schrepp, M. (2020). On the Usage of Cronbach's Alpha to Measure Reliability of UX Scales. Journal of Usability Studies, 15(4).

Vassilakopoulou, P., & Hustad, E. (2023). Bridging digital divides: A literature review and research agenda for information systems research. Information Systems Frontiers, 25(3), 955-969. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10796-020-10096-3

Vermani, S., & Sharma, S. (2021). New normal in the workplace post Covid-19. International Journal of Innovation and Applied Studies, 33(1), 12-16.

Yusoff, Y. H., Ghazali, N. I., Mazani, N. M. B., Baharudin, M. H. B., & Osman, N. A. B. (2022). A quality of women empowerment in Malaysia: International Journal of Academic Research in Accounting, Finance and Management Sciences, 12(3), 600-611. e: http://dx.doi.org/10.6007/IJARAFMS/v12-i3/14371