Value added IT skills
July 2008, Farida Umrani and Rehana Ghadially, i4d
This study explores the issue of gender neutrality and inclusion of marginalised sections in IT enabled services. Using a sample of men and women from the Muslim community in Mumbai who have undergone the Urdu desktop publishing diploma course offered by the government, the study finds that women are at a disadvantage compared to men in acquiring soft skills such as English language proficiency and communication, that are essential for a successful career in this sector. Since traditionally Muslim women in Western India take up home-based businesses, the authors recommend that imparting proper business skills during training will help them undertake successful businesses on their own. Family support is essential for women to enrol in training programmes and the civil society needs to create awareness among the communities about the benefits of such programmes. The study reminds us that while there are some successes in the efforts at bringing women and the minority communities into the new economy, much more remains to be done.