Abstract :
The purpose of this study is to examine women’s views of the effects of using ICT on their socioeconomic activities in villages of Korbal Rural District of Shiraz Provincial Town. The research method is of the descriptive (surveying) type. The population consisted of all women of villages of Korbal Rural District of Shiraz Provincial Town (villages having an ICT Center) which had a population of 1950 persons, in 2011. The sample consisted of 320 women who were selected at random. The method for collecting data consisted of the bibliographical method and an author-developed questionnaire (containing 30 items with Likert 5-point scale). Using Cronbach’s alpha coefficient, the reliability of the test was found to be 0.87. Data was analyzed at descriptive level (using frequency distribution, frequency percentage tables and drawing charts), and at inferential level (using chi-square test, Mann-Whitney U-test, and Kruscal-Wallis test). The findings of this study show that the use of ICT, improvement in information and knowledge enhancement, the attitude towards life, enhancement of the spirit of participation, and increasing the skills required were all significantly affecting the socioeconomic activities of rural women. That effectiveness was the same in in married women irrespective of their age, number of children and education level, however, the effects were different when comparing women that were employed against housewives.
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