Social inclusion of rural women through digital literacy programs for employment

Abstract

Introduction. This article presents the results of a study about the social inclusion of women in rural areas through the acquisition of basic digital competence. Its main objective is to know the level of skill acquired in the different competences associated with the basic level according to said model, to analyze what extent these learnings have improved their level of digital competence, also considering whether there are differences at the socio-demographic level according to age, level variables academic, family and work situation. Method. To this end, a questionnaire on basic digital competence and social and labor inclusion has been applied to 240 women from rural settings participating in digital literacy programs for employment, aged between 18 and 65 years. Results. The results show a level of acquired digital competence that allows the intermediate use of some text processing tools and the use of internet portals and social networks such as Facebook, finding significant differences in women based on their age and family situation and work. In the case of more advanced resources related to social and labour inclusion such as LinkedIn applications and cloud tools, there is greater ignorance and greater difficulty in its management and practical application. In this sense, there are similarities with other research carried out by women in rural areas, regarding the existing gender digital divide and their relationship with the difficulties in inserting these people into the labour market. Discussion. The discussion of results presents some implications for the formation of a digital citizenship according to the DigComp2.1 model and the need for training programs in this area, specifically aimed at women in rural areas.