Gendered Networks and Technology Use: Examining Female Researchers' Careers over Time

Gender and science is a much studied area within the social sciences. Stressing the importance of professional ties to women's scientific careers much of this research is confined to highly functioning scientific systems, neglecting female researchers in peripheral areas. The work that has been done on the scientific systems of less developed areas has either been descriptive in nature, with very little attention paid to predicting career outcomes, or was done before the widespread diffusion of ICTs. Because the Internet and email ease the constraints of time and place on interactions, some posit that the diffusion of ICTs will lead to increased professional interconnectedness, particularly for female researchers in less developed areas who may use the technologies to overcome cultural restrictions placed on their physical mobility. Over the last eight years, Internet penetration in Africa and Asia has increased providing the perfect opportunity to examine corresponding changes in female researcher's careers. Using panel data gathered at two points (2000-2002 and 2005) during the height of ICT diffusion, this paper examines changes in female researcher's careers in Ghana, Kenya, and the Southwestern Indian state of Kerala. Specifically, I examine the relationship between changes in access to the Internet and email and corresponding changes in female scientist's professional and organizational networks. By employing panel data, this paper takes an important step towards filling a gap in the social science literature as I am able to more accurately predict the direction of the relationship between communication technologies and female researcher's professional scientific network structure.