The title captures the scope of the book. Placed in the context of claims and counter-claims about the ability of new information and communication technologies (ICTs) to reconfigure gendering relations in favour of women, the book brings in empirical and theoretical material to this debate. The geometric progression and diffusion of ICTs literally force policy makers to privilege ICTs as agents of both social and economic change. While hopes of social transformation and fears of destroying of livelihoods have always accompanied the arrival of new technologies, policy makers and developmental activists tend to view ICTs with greater optimism concerning its ability to contribute to human development. They are seen to be much more open in terms of innovative trajectories and users can play an important role in pushing them towards socially equitable ends. Anxieties however persist. Given the hegemony of the north in trade and technology, there are doubts over whether ICTs can alter existing divisions of labour across nations or aggravate international inequities.

Similarly, given the historical association of technology with perpetuation of patriarchal control, traditional feminists are skeptical about its ability to undermine existing gender relations. However, certain feminists argue that the greater space for users in technological innovation and growth of a wide range of services have transformed patriarchy into a more contested domain.

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