Bridging the Digital Divide: A Case Study of Middle-age Women in Taiwan

This article reports a study of how middle-age and elder women adopt ICT through the social intervention and support from the non-profit organizations (NPOs) which they are associated with. By interviewing 30 participants of the Taiwan Women Up project, we reveal the barriers that may hinder women from learning ICT and the forces which can facilitate women in their adoption of ICT at three levels: individual, family and social group. Our findings show that, for our participants who are middle-class housewives over 40, their bonding with the NPOs serves as the main force for them to join the Taiwan Women Up project and adopt ICT. When ICT related difficulty occurs, they approach to the members of the NPOs and receive support from them while their families turn them down initially. After this project, the participants develop confidence and, accordingly, the digital divide is narrowed. Yet, there is little sign that any change of the traditional gender role has occurred.