Despite the physical stress, mundane nature of job and low status of call centre work, women, which constitute up to 70 per cent of the workforce in some BPOs, seem to be satisfied and enjoy their work, says the book 'Gender and the Digital Economy - Perspectives from the Developing World'.
Women especially in India, have found that the wages they earn enable them to experience a new found freedom and autonomy, say editors Cecila Ng, a visiting Associate Professor at the Asian Institute of Technology, Bangkok and Swasti Mitter, an international consultant on information and communication technologies.
In India, women's mobility and spending power have traditionally been controlled by men, even in the case of highly educated, working women.
In a study of call centre workers in Malaysia and India, Cecila and Mitter say women in both countries point out that they have learnt new skills and some have even become more assertive persons.
The acquired skills, ranging from so-called soft skills like communication, listening and interpersonal skills to product knowledge and technical competency, have given the women a sense of confidence in dealing, both with their customers and with society at large, says the book.
However, while some women are in it for a short period, others plan to pursue careers in the call centre industry.
Women's interpersonal skills are now being recognised and valued economically. In call centres, a premium is attached to women s voices and their interpersonal skills, as these are closely connected to the quality of customer care and ultimately will ensure the profitability of the company, says the book.
Govind Kelkar, Girija Sreshtha and Veena N in an article Women's agency and the IT Industry in India in the book, note that the development of Information Technology has had a clear impact on women.
Studies of village pay phones in rural Bangladesh and computer aided technologies and networking in Malaysia and India have observed that household income has increased and women have mobility and say in household matters.
While the exact number of women at various levels in the Indian IT industry is not available due to lack of gender disaggregated data, it is estimated that they constitute 21 per cent of the total IT workforce which is higher than their participation in the national economy as a whole at 13 per cent, they say.
The authors, however, note that despite all this progress, the gender-based division of labour at home has been maintained and in some cases even magnified despite women's involvement in paid work in the IT industry
With the introduction of new information and communication technologies, most women's daily workload has only multiplied, because they have to do unpaid housework as before, in addition to paid work in the IT industry.
Technology itself is gendered and strongly shaped by patriarchal yardsticks of class and gender, the trio say.
Despite all this, the important issue at this hour is restoring and carrying forward a creative and empowered participation of women in technology development and enhancing women's participation through creative knowledge, skills and education, says the book.
