HOMEWORKERS AND ICTS IN SOUTHEAST ASIA

E-HOMEMAKERS

RESEARCH MANUAL

This research manual was prepared by Dr. Czarina Saloma-Akpedonu of the Department of
Sociology and Anthropology, Ateneo de Manila University, with the assistance of Ms. Chong
Sheau Ching and Ms. Amy Tan of eHomemakers. Please send comments to
csaloma@ateneo.edu or to manager@ehomemakers.net/research @ehomemakers.net.

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 Contents
About this Manual
Goals
Objectives

1. Homeworkers and ICTs in Southeast Asia Research Project: Conceptual Issues

1.1 Definition of terms
1.2 Key concepts and issues
1.2.1 Gender governance framework
1.2.2 Gender analysis and key concepts
1.2.3 Gender and technology issues: Themes and indicators
1.3 Conceptual framework
1.4 Analytical framework

2. Homeworkers and ICTs in Southeast Asia Research Project: Research Process

2.1 Research methods and data set to be collected
2.2 Research schedule
2.3 Collecting the data
2.3.1 How to use the guides and formats
2.3.2 Advantages and limitations of the research methods
2.3.3 Practical and ethical considerations
2.4 How to do secondary data analysis
2.5 How to do key informant interviewing
2.6 How to do a case study
2.6.1 Observations
2.6.2 Professional biography/Oral history
2.6.3 Focus group discussion
2.7 How to analyze data
2.7.1 How to ensure the validity and verifiability of findings
2.8 How to write a research report
2.9 Concluding remarks

3. Guides and Formats

3.1 Tables and formats scheme
3.2 Formats and guides
Formats for secondary data analysis
Key informant interview guide for sectoral stakeholders (NGOs/Government sector)
Key informant interview guide for sectoral stakeholders (Private sector)
Key informant interview guide for homeworkers
Observation guide
Oral history collection guide
Focus group discussion guide

4. Evaluation Form

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ABOUT THIS MANUAL
This research manual is designed to strengthen the capacities of country research teams
involved in the research project, “Homeworkers and ICTs in Southeast Asia”1 to conduct
research and analysis of gender issues concerning home-based work and women homeworkers’
ICT (Information and Communication Technologies) utilization in Indonesia, Malaysia and
Thailand.

GOAL

• To provide members of the research teams with necessary skills to conduct a valid and cross-
country comparable study of homeworkers and ICT use
• To provide project teams with guides and formats for proper monitoring of the research
project

OBJECTIVES

Research teams should:

• Understand key gender-specific issues and challenges of home-based work pertaining to
women homeworkers in Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand
• Understand how to collect and analyze data on gender-specific issues concerning women
homeworkers’ use of ICTs for work (e.g., market creation/access, and improvement of
production capability/quality), technology appropriateness, technology usage, and potentials
for applying the “Gender Governance Framework” to promote ICT network governance and
self-governance
• Be aware of technicalities involved in data presentation formats and guidelines in order for the
findings to be comparable across the three countries

1 The research project involves three country research teams. The ASEAN Foundation – The ICT4D
Collaboratory will conduct the research in Indonesia. In Thailand, the research will be conducted by a
team from Sukhothaithammathirat Open University. e-Homemakers will conduct the research in
Malaysia, as well as direct and coordinate the entire research project as the Regional Team. The research
project is funded by the International Development Research Centre.

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 Homeworkers and ICTs in Southeast Asia
1 Research Project: Conceptual Issues

Summary of the Research Project

1. Who to include in the research project?
Women homeworkers who are:
 Urban-based
 With low incomes
 Engaged in traditional home-based work
 Have some form of access to ICTs

This means:
 Urban-based women homeworkers with low incomes, some form of access to ICTs, and doing
traditional home-based work who belong to “vulnerable groups” in society (i.e., single mothers, physically
impaired, chronically ill, with aged and sick dependents)
 Urban-based women homeworkers with low incomes, some form of access to ICTs, and doing
traditional home-based work who are “normal” (i.e., women homeworkers who are poor but are not single
mothers, poor women homeworkers who are physically/mentally healthy, poor women homeworkers
without aged/ill/disabled dependants)
 Former women homeworkers (i.e., those who did home-based work in the past but are now fully
employed outside of the home, those who no longer work from home to earn income for various reasons)

2) What ICT tools?

 Not only computers
 Include handphones, Internet, fax machines, and printers and all other technologies used to communicate
and share information (e.g., AM/FM radio, community broadcasting tower, satellite radio, TV)

3) How to conduct the research?

Secondary data analysis
Key informant interviews
- Select 40 key informants from NGOs, GOs, private sector, society at large
- Select 60-90 homeworkers (from each site, get 20-30 homeworkers)
Case Study
From the pool of 60-90 homeworkers interviewed, choose
a) At least 36 homeworkers for the focus group discussions
b) Ten homeworkers for oral history collection
c) Two homeworkers for observations

Why conduct the research?

 The findings of this research will comprise an information portfolio for
a possible action-research project on how ICTs can be used to stimulate innovative yet sustainable
individual/ group actions among women homeworkers.

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 The Homeworkers and ICTs in Southeast Asia Research Project aims to gather data on
relevant issues concerning urban home-based work and women homeworkers in Indonesia,
Thailand, and Malaysia. Data to be gathered in the 12-month study include the extent of ICT use
among homeworkers in these countries and how ICT can empower women homeworkers,
especially those in the vulnerable groups, to achieve self reliance and empowerment.

The general objective of the study is to understand how ICT can address specific gender and
socio-economic challenges facing women homeworkers in Southeast Asia. The specific
objectives are:
• To gather statistics and qualitative data on development challenges facing the informal
sector of home-based work and women homeworkers
• To uncover gender-specific issues for women homeworkers in ICT deployment
• To identify opportunities afforded by ICTs for women homeworkers in work, networking
and governance
• To probe technology appropriateness for home-based work and identify characteristics of
technology understanding among women homeworkers
• To undertake more in-depth research on ICT/entrepreneurial barriers and indicators as
revealed in the research conducted by e-Homemakers (2004) “Empowering Homemakers
To Become Homepreneurs and e-Homepreneurs Through A Gender Governance
Framework” project
• To disseminate research findings to the policy community in the three participating
countries

Definition of terms
Home-based work or activities. Work that is being carried out in a worker's home or vicinity
near the home for cash income (i.e. not unpaid household work). The cash work must be 100
percent home-based, or the production is partially conducted at home or at vicinity near
the home although the worker may trade his/her products or services elsewhere.“Vicinity” can
include neighbors who come to a homepreneur’s house to work.
This research project excludes hawkering from the definition of home-based work or
activities.

Homeworkers. People who carry out home-based work; also referred to as home-based workers.
The term “homeworker” includes part-time homeworkers provided that they do the work
100% at home.
Types of work which can be classified as home-based work:
 Contractor/Subcontractor. A contract/sub-contract worker works for a contract
company or an intermediary on piece-rate payment terms; is not responsible for designing
or marketing the product, but simply contribute her labor; also an outworker, or a part-
timer. In general, a contractor is one who agrees to perform work; while a subcontractor
is an individual or business entity which agrees to perform part of or all of another's
contract. We include in the research project contractors/subcontractors (homepreneurs)

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 who do not have more than 5 workers at any point of time, including part-timers or
freelancers.
After 1997, the Thai government encouraged the establishment of small cottage industries
where homepreneurs can engage 20-30 people to work. This arrangement will not be covered by
this research project.
 Freelance. One who works without long-term contractual commitments to any
one employer or company.
 Entrepreneurs. Individuals who are homepreneurs, own account workers, self-
employed and freelancers.
 Homepreneur or home entrepreneur or home-based entrepreneur. A person who
owns and runs a business from his/her home; also called home-based entrepreneur.
 e-homepreneur. As per eHomemakers’ definition - an entrepreneur who runs his
or her own home-based business using information and communication technologies.
Also k-homepreneur as “k” (knowledge) is interchangeably used with “e” (electronic) to
signify a knowledge society or an information society wherein the use of information and
communication technologies plays a central role.
 e-homeworker. An e-homeworker is paid to work from home on projects using
information technology tools such as laptops, desktops, tablet PCs, PDA-cum-mobile
phones, camcorders. Also k-homepreneur.
 Off-farm employment. Home-based work that is done as an alternative/source of
complimentary income to farm work
Farm work is not considered home-based work as it is done outside the home.
 Own-account worker. A worker who designs and markets his or her own
products.
 Outworker. A person who works at home for a client or company.
 Part-timer. An individual who works less than customary or standard hours.
 Self-employed. An individual who earns income directly from one's own
business, trade, or profession rather than as a specified salary or wages from an employer.
 Telecommuting. Periodic work out of the principal office, one or more days per
week, either at home, in a client's site, or in a telework center; the partial or total
substitution of information technologies for the commuter to work. The emphasis here is
on reduction or elimination of the daily commute to and from the workplace.
Telecommuting is a form of teleworking.
 Teleworking. Any form of substitution of information technologies (such as
telecommunications and/or computers) for normal work-related travel; moving the work
to the workers instead of moving the workers to work.
 Informal sector and home-based work. The term informal sector is used to refer to
economic activities characterized by non-permanence and casualness, non-regulation by
companies and government and reliance on household labor. There are often links
between home-based work and informal sector but this research does not include women
doing domestic work in other people's houses, or agricultural work, which may be
informal but is not home-based. This research covers only activities in the informal sector
which are fully or partially done at home.

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 Vulnerable Groups. There are many successful business people and well-paid professionals
working from home, but our focus is on those belonging to vulnerable groups. The
research project identifies the following five groups of women homeworkers as vulnerable:
 Homeworkers from low income families
The research project uses “low-income” as criterion for poverty, with the national poverty
line as a standard measure for income. Each country team however is free to determine the actual
level of income to be used in their selection criteria. For example, the Malaysia team will not use
the official poverty line which is pegged at RM500 per month for 4-5 people but will instead use
a monthly household income of RM1500-2000 as definition of low-income.
 Homeworkers who are single mothers
“Single mother” may mean a woman who is taking care of her child/children on her own, an
abandoned or divorced mother or widowed woman as well as a woman who is head of her
household because her husband is working in another locality
 Homeworkers with chronic illnesses
 Homeworkers who are physically impaired
 Homeworkers with disabled/aged dependents

Urban. The United Nations (UN) Statistics Division defines city proper as a locality with legally
fixed boundaries and an administratively recognized urban status that is usually characterized by
some form of local government. Urban agglomeration has been defined as comprising the city or
town proper and also the suburban fringe or thickly settled territory lying outside of, but adjacent
to, the city boundaries. Since the distinction between urban and rural population is not amenable
to a single definition applicable to all countries, the UN asks each country to decide which areas
are to be classified as urban and which as rural, in accordance with their own circumstances.
 Indonesia: Municipalities (kotamadya), regency capitals (kabupaten), and other
places with urban characteristics
 Malaysia: Gazetted areas with their adjoining built-up areas and with a combined
population of 10,000 persons or more
 Thailand: Municipalities

Examples of urban, traditional home-based work

As a general understanding, homeworkers in the context of this project are
contractors/subcontractors and home-based entrepreneurs or homepreneurs. These
homeworkers are doing types of work popular among urban women homeworkers and
where ICT is often not deployed efficiently.

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 Service-based: child care; laundering; tutoring; running hobby/craft classes; beauty care
(e.g., facial treatment, hair cut, body print), masseur, direct selling; other services
excluding ICT-related work
Product-based: Tailoring/garment and apparel-making; baking and cooking for festival
seasons or special functions; packaging of special fruits, jellies and vegetables; making
handicraft items from paper produce (e.g., greeting cards, paper basketry); making
handicraft items from organic produce (e.g., shells, rubber leaves, stones, fish scales);
making handicraft items from wood; making handicraft items from recycled
items/second-hand goods; flower arrangement; food catering; making local delicacies;
other business services excluding ICT-related work

Information and communications technology (ICT). Although most people think of ICT as
computers and Internet, ICT refers to the broad range of technologies like computer hardware
and software, fixed lines and mobile phones, television, community radio, electronic mail,
satellite technology, wireless or cable networks, multimedia tools (convergence of the Internet
and radio and/or video), and the Internet which are used to create, transmit and distribute
information and services.
“ICT” includes community tower and participatory management of ICT tools by the
community. Telecenters in Thailand are linked with community radios, which then play a role in
improving communities’ information access. The Thai government gives low interest loans to
small and medium-scale enterprises for ICT set-up.

1.2 Key concepts and issues

This section is organized into three parts. The first part discusses the Gender Governance
Framework; the second part presents a list of standard terms used in gender analysis while the
third part discusses the themes, issues, and indicators that will be used in this research.

1.2.1 Gender Governance Framework

One of the objectives of the research project is to undertake more in-depth research on
ICT/entrepreneurial barriers and indicators using a Gender Governance Framework. The Gender
Governance Framework, as proposed by eHomemakers (2004), is a framework which
identifies the processes that have to be considered in enabling homemakers to effectively
participate and benefit from economic activities. Gender governance is characterized by women
can taking ownership or control of the management of social networks, information sharing and
other activities that enable and empower them to work from home. It is an essential evolution
process which recognizes women’s ability to govern themselves, their families and the groups
around them. At the heart of the framework are five processes called the 5As Process of
Change, which outline how women can take part in the creation of governance structures and
mechanisms for their specific needs and interests. These are:

Awareness of the problem

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Acceptance of the need for change
Action to be taken
Assimilation maintaining the change
Assessment of progress

In this framework, a disadvantaged woman needs to break through barriers in order for her to
become an e-homepreneur making full advantage of information management and practicing
gender governance. Each stage of the 5A Process of Change reflects different levels of economic
empowerment. The process of empowerment is therefore a sequence of women’s actions by
which a gender issue – economic empowerment – can be tackled.

The first three stages require women homeworkers to realize and accept that they can change
their situation by undertaking certain actions toward change. For e-homepreneurship building,
the “assimilation” stage is the beginning of the process of change from being a homeworker or
homepreneur to becoming an e-homepreneur. This is the stage when a disadvantaged woman is
able to use ICT to forge a viable business through networking, and to manage information
resources on her own. When she reaches the “assessment” stage, she is completing the process of
change to reach gender governance as she is able to evaluate her own efforts to overcome the
barriers, take action any time to overcome them without heavy costs (monetary and non-
monetary) to herself. She is able to grow her business with ICT usage and she is an active
member in business and cyber support networks. Her feedback, inputs and responsive actions to
the networks’ needs form part of the governance of the information networks she belongs to. Box
1 below shows the relationship between the different elements of gender governance.

Box 1. Empowering Homemakers To Become Homepreneurs and e-Homepreneurs Through A

Gender Governance Framework

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 A process of change from homemaker
Initiation of disadvantaged
to homepreneur women into ICT for work

Homemaker
Homepreneur

Awareness
Assessment of the
of progress problem

Process of Change from

Homemaker to Homepreneur
to E-homepreneur

Assimilation Acceptance
maintaining of the need
the change for change

Action to be
taken

e-Homemakers first used the Gender Governance Framework in a research project on barriers of
ICT use of disadvantaged women. The project was supported by a Pan Asia Networking research
grant. The pilot project entitled, “Empowering Homemakers To Become Homepreneurs and E-
Homemakers Through A Gender Governance Framework” was implemented by e-Homemakers
from 2002-2004 in Ipoh and Klang Valley, Malaysia. A total of 175 women urban and para-
urban homemakers who are mostly home-bound due to reasons ranging from physical

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disabilities, chronic illnesses and family care responsibilities participated in a series of ICT and
entrepreneurial skills enhancement seminars and networking opportunities (Please refer to Box
2).

Box 2. Project Findings of “Empowering Homemakers To Become Homepreneurs and E-

Homemakers Through A Gender Governance Framework” (eHomemakers 2004)
The project examined three areas of concern, namely: Attitudinal, financial and personal
barriers (General barriers), ICT barriers, and entrepreneurial barriers
General barriers
- Attitude: Low self-confidence, high-risk aversion, passivity, quick to quit when faced
with obstacles, and interest in immediacy of returns
- Finance: Obstacle in acquisition of ICT equipment, maintenance and operational cost
even when home business options require little or no capital
- Personal and home circumstances: Health and physical status, family care
responsibilities, gender roles and work burden at home prevent women from doing
something about their situation
Major ICT barriers
- Accessibility: A high percentage of fixed phone lines, mobile phones and
computers but low Internet connectivity
- Usage: Mobile phone is the most frequently used ICT tool
- Familiarity and comfort of tool usage: Those with less exposure to ICT tools
were uncomfortable with the tools; the disabled and those with chronic illnesses find
computers and the Internet non-user friendly. Glaring screens, wires running in many
places, high number of switches to be used, and some ICT tools’ (e.g., computers)
immobility were among the disincentives to usage
- Training and attitude: Inability of women to grasp ICT concepts, their readiness to
give up, and lack of self-confidence to persevere during trainings
- Relating ICT usage to work: Women use ICT tools primarily for personal purposes
(e.g., keeping in touch with friends and family) and have not connected usage of ICT
tools such as computers to income generation
- Finance: Cost of acquiring equipment is a main barrier to setting up income-generating
work stations at home. Likewise, some view costs incurred to be not in proportion to
the benefits derived
- Personal and home circumstances: Inability to participate in skills enhancement
courses due to transportation problems and related costs, time, and family
commitments
 Major entrepreneurship entry barriers
- Personal and home circumstances: Health and physical status, family care
responsibilities, gender roles and work burden at home prevent women from going out
and working
- Discrimination: The physically disabled are discriminated in various ways in the
public and work environment (e.g., generally treated as “unable” to perform any tasks)
- Finance: Lack of financial means to equip and furnish their offices and acquire
necessary skills. Also includes costs of finding alternative help to take over their
normal tasks (e.g., baby sitting, cooking)
- Knowledge of business principles: Lack of basic entrepreneurial skills and knowledge

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 of business principles leading to lack of knowledge about finding and approaching
customers
- Knowledge of ICT tools’ usage as business tools: Women appeared oblivious to the
potential of ICTs in assisting better business flow, reducing business costs and
improving their time use.
- Self-confidence and self-knowledge: Inability to identify talents, make decisions and
take the plunge to do micro-business
- Attitude: Women without previous work experience generally have lackadaisical
attitude towards fulfilling work commitments giving credence to reservations
expressed by potential outsource employers about women’s ability to perform
- Risk aversion: Women’s general hesitance in venturing out on their own to produce
and market their own products
- Networking: A new concept among women homeworkers; a number remained
oblivious to the importance of networking
- Time: Those with disabled children and adult dependents have the greatest problems
finding uninterrupted time to work during normal working hours
- Family Support: Household chores and family care responsibilities are preventing
women from going out and working
- Location: Location of disadvantaged women in poor, slum neighborhoods makes
starting a home business difficult due to the lack of potential markets. It also presents
transportation problems
- Existing policies: Absence of policies which control and monitor flexi-work/home-
based work make it difficult for both outsourcing employer and potential workers to
participate in employment generation and entrepreneur creation

(eHomemakers, 2004. Empowering Homemakers To Become Homepreneurs and E-Homemakers Through A

Gender Governance Framework

1.2.2 Gender analysis and key concepts

In this research project, we will complement the Gender Governance Framework with
gender analysis. Gender analysis refers to the examination of a problem or situation in order to
identify gender issues within the problem/context being addressed and to overcome obstacles to
the attainment of gender equality or similar goals.

 One framework for gender analysis is the Gender Equality and Women Empowerment
Framework (UNICEF 1994) The Gender Equality and Women Empowerment
Framework is centered on women’s access to resources and welfare conditions,
awareness of women of the structural and systematic discrimination against them,
women’s involvement of in the development programs designed for women, women’s
ability to avail of the benefits of development and to decide as to how its benefits are
obtained and sustained. The analysis looks at gender gaps at the level of welfare, access,
conscientization, and control that have to be addressed to attain gender equality and
women’s empowerment.

Box 3. Key concepts in Gender Equality and Women Empowerment Framework

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 Gender issue and gender gap: A gender issue arises when gender inequality is recognized as
undesirable or unjust. It arises when there are gender gaps - where the division into gender
roles brings with it inequalities in the division of the amount of work input, or benefit received
between women and men.
 Welfare: The gender gap between women and men in the material wellbeing such as health and
nutritional status.
 Conscientization: The process of becoming aware of the extent to which problems arise from
the systematic discrimination against a social group (e.g., women).
 Access and control: Access refers to the ability to avail oneself of or to utilize a particular
resource. Control refers to the power or authority to decide about the acquisition, use,
allocation and disposal of a resource or benefit.
 Gender equity: Gender equity is the process of being fair to women and men. To ensure
fairness, measures must often be available to compensate for historical and social
disadvantages that prevent women and men from otherwise operating on a level playing field.
Equity leads to equality.
 Gender equality means that women and men enjoy the same status, and that women and men
have equal conditions for realizing their full human rights and potential to contribute to
development and to benefit from the results.
 Empowerment: This refers broadly to the challenging of social norms, shifts in equalizing
power relations, enabling of voice and expression, sense and active claim of rights, an increase
in perceived opportunity, and increases in confidence and the consequences that arise from
these.

Box 4. Other concepts used in gender studies

 Gender: First used as a phrase, “social relations of gender” (of which “gender” became a
shortcut) seeks to make evident and to explain the global asymmetry that appears in
male/female relations in terms of sex roles in power-sharing, decision-making, division
of labor, and return to labor both within the household and society.
 Gender roles and sex roles: Sex roles refer to occupation or biological function for which
a necessary qualification is to belong to one particular sex category. An example is
pregnancy as a female sex role. Only members of the female sex may bear children.
Gender roles are those that are classified by sex, according to dictates of society or
culture. An example is childrearing, which is classified as a female gender role. It is not a
female sex role, as childrearing can be done by men as well as by women. Gender roles
or activities may be generally classified into:
o Production, which consists of activities that result in the generation or production
of marketable goods or services. These include, among others, home-based work
activities, as well as participation in training/livelihood programs for women or
home-based workers and membership in homeworkers’ cooperatives.
o Reproduction, which covers activities carried out to reproduce labor, and to care
for and maintain the household. Examples include childcare, food preparation,
and other activities that result in goods and services for immediate household
consumption.
o Community management/involvement, which pertains to activities undertaken or
assumed roles that produce results for the community’s collective consumption,

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 use or benefit. Some examples are mobilization to secure basic services for the
community, taking leadership roles, and participation in community-based
projects and organizations.
o Leisure, which refers to activities that do not pertain to productive or reproductive
work, but are, instead, related to rest and recreation. Using ICTs for personal
communication and entertainment can be considered leisurely activities.
 Gender needs and interests: Women’s needs or interests may be classified into practical
and strategic.
o Practical gender needs: These are needs that do not challenge the unequal
structure of gender relations, division of labor or traditional balances of power, but
relate to the sphere in which women have primary responsibilities. These differ from
“women’s special needs” but may arise from them. Practical needs may differ
according to the woman’s or the group of women’s social class, age, and situation.
Examples: a need for income to send children to school, a need for potable water.
o Strategic gender needs: There are needs that arise out of an understanding
(consciousness) and analysis of women’s subordinate situation in society. These are
actions and strategies that are required to bring about structural changes and
empowerment. Examples: a need for political and legislative reform to grant
constitutional equality to women, a need for a political voice.
In this research project, the analysis of gender needs correspond to our analysis of
homeworkers’ material well-being (welfare), access to and control of resources, and
conscientization.

Adapted from Illo, Jeanne Frances (1996), “A Framework for Gender Analysis of Projects” in J. F. Illo
(ed.), Gender, Projects and Organizations: A Case Book)

Advantages of Doing Gender Analysis of ICT Use

 Gender analysis helps us to see the situation of homeworkers and ICT use as
multifaceted.
Example: Using a gender governance framework, eHomemakers (2004) identifies the
difficulties experienced by women in using ICTs as being linked to varied factors such as
limited accessibility and infrastructure, high costs, time requirement, language constraints,
fear of harassment by men, inappropriate use of information, skill deficiencies, and lack of
gender and home-based worker sensitive training and tools.

 A gender-based analysis process helps to identify experiences and outcomes specific to

women

Example: Gender analysis allows us to understand how homemakers are making the
transition from homemaking to working for cash, aided by assistance from a project
specifically designed for them (see e-Homemakers 2004) 1998)

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1.2.3 Gender and Technology Issues: Themes and Indicators
The central question of this research project concerns Southeast Asian women
homeworkers’ use of ICTs. The key areas that lend themselves to indicators are homeworkers’
socioeconomic profile, community profile, and homeworkers’ use of ICTs for work. These key
areas correspond to three key themes:

• The enabling environment or the contexts, structures and mechanisms supporting women
homeworkers and their use of ICTs for work
• Activities or actual efforts to address gender equality issues of urban women
homeworkers
• Effects of efforts to address gender equality issues and potentials for Gender Governance

The abovementioned three themes are anchored on five interrelated gender and technology
relations issues, or issues concerning women and their use of technologies and participation in
economic activities. These issues are:

• Technology as Culture. There are three layers of meanings associated with technology:
technology as a form of knowledge or a know-how, technology as a set of human
activities and practices, and technology as a set of physical objects (Wajcman 1991: 14).
These layers of meanings suggest that technology is not fixed and given, but involves
cultural processes which are subject to negotiation, contestation, and transformation.
Technology as a culture of practice relates to a user’s subjective experience and practices
of technology, as well as starting point for making and transforming meanings such as
definition of “technological work” and “skill” (Henwood, 1993).

• Marginalization of women in the labor market. Women’s entry into the formal
economy did not result in increased women status as most women found themselves
doing low-status and low-waged work. Consequently, certain jobs and job attributes such
as low wage, flexibility and deregulation became associated with women’s work. Over
time, the feminization of labor was not only being felt by women in the routine and
badly-paid character of their own jobs but also in the loss of the male wage as certain
attributes formerly reserved to female jobs are being associated with male jobs (Standing
1989: 1079; Pearson 1998: 176). The challenge is to ensure that the value of women’s
labor is not devalued.
The creation of a working class of women is related to women’s multiple burden
wherein women perform both productive and reproductive tasks and oftentimes do so
simultaneously (multi-tasking). Multi-tasking becomes a burden when there is little or
no sharing of household chores. Thus, in the absence of a gender-sensitive household
division of labor (i.e., sharing of household chores), the introduction of ICT usage will
not alleviate women’s burden, but becomes an added burden to women’s responsibilities.
To be also considered are the implications (e.g., control of resources) when the woman
is the home-based worker but her husband does the product distribution thus collecting

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 the income.

• Invisibility of Women. Doing low-status and low-waged work means that women also
have an “invisible” status in the production process. The invisibility of women in the
production process is due to the fact that the components assembled by women (e.g.,
integrated circuits) are usually not visible as end products. It is also a result of studies that
focus on areas such as development and design where women are scarcely present. While
such studies examine the shaping of technology in the hands of its creators, these studies
failed to see women since most of the creators of technology are men. Consequently,
most development projects that involve technologies fail to consider women as users of
technology. Similarly, most technology providers do not design technologies that
consider women users.
This research proposes access to fair trade mechanisms as one way to address the
issues of the marginalization of women in the labor and invisibility of women in the
economy, which translate into homeworkers’ low incomes. Fair trade means that farmers,
workers, and artisans (e.g., many cottage industries have home-based workers who are in
the handicraft sector) receive a sufficient price under direct long-term contracts. They are
small-scale producers in democratic cooperatives (e.g., coffee, tea, cocoa, bananas, fruits,
crafts) or workers on larger farms who receive a living wage and can bargain collectively
(e.g., tea, bananas, fruits), do not use abusive child labor or forced labor, and use
ecologically sustainable methods. The following websites provide information about fair
trade:
http://www.globalexchange.org/campaigns/fairtrade/,
http://www.fairtradefederation.com/

• “Woman Question in Technology”. The central issue of the woman question in

technology is the exclusion of women from technological work as a result of structural
barriers to women’s participation (Wajcman 1991:2). These barriers include sex
discrimination in employment, as well as in the identification of participants of
assistance projects.Another barrier is the differential socialization for boys and girls at
home and at schools which later translate into women distancing themselves from
technology use. The question of women’s participation in technology is then viewed as a
question of access to education/training and employment, which can be solved by
different socialization and equal opportunity practices designed to break gender
stereotypes.
• The “Technology Question”. If the issues related to “woman in technology question”
refer to access and equality, the issues pertaining to “technology question” are about the
nature and structure of technologies and technology work (Wajcman 1991:20). The
exclusion of women from technological work is seen as a consequence of the gender
division of labor that developed under capitalism where women were denied access to
capital and education. From this material difference, social constructions of technology
arose to maintain the exclusion of women from the more important aspects of technology
(e.g., to have a source of less costly labor). Related to the “technology question” is the
design of technologies that consider women’s needs and interest. One example is the area
of multimedia content development where the question is whether women are the creators
of content and whether content respond to women’s needs and interests. Another example

16
 is the search for technologies that would enhance women’s multiple tasking capabilities
without adding more work burden to them. This however requires support from the
household and the community; in the use of ICTs for home-based work, there is need for
an effective division of labor wherein reproductive tasks do not solely fall on the
homeworker.

1.3 Conceptual framework

To examine the interconnectedness of the themes and issues identified above, this
research project utilizes the Gender Equality and Women Empowerment Framework (UNICEF
1994) and Gender Governance Framework (Chong et al 2004). Women homeworkers
experience varying levels of well-being (welfare), and access to and control of resources,
although they may not be aware of it. As soon as they become aware of their situation and the
need for change, homeworkers can take the initiative to improve their situation. Through
improved welfare, increased access to and control of resources, and awareness of their situation,
women homeworkers attain gender equality and women’s empowerment. One of the ways in
which women homeworkers can achieve gender equality and empowerment is through gender
governance. In gender governance, women homeworkers take action to improve their welfare
and access to and control of resources by combining opportunities in home-based work, ICTs,
and knowledge sharing. Thus, in this research project, the analysis of the situation of
homeworkers vis-à-vis welfare, access, conscientization and control is specifically geared
towards assessing the potentials of ICTs in empowering women homeworkers through the
creation of a platform for gender governance.

1.4. Analytical framework

The analytical framework (please refer to Diagram 1) shows that the different dimensions
of the Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment Framework and the Gender Governance
Framework are to be examined in three areas, namely, enabling environment; activities to
address gender equality and empowerment issues; and effects of efforts to address gender
equality and empowerment issues on women homeworkers and potentials for gender governance.

The enabling environment, which includes homeworkers, household and community

characteristics, is the starting point in the analysis of gender issues in welfare, access, control,
and awareness. From the enabling environment, analysis looks into the activities such as
promotion of awareness of gender gaps and need for change, and action undertaken towards
ICT-enabled home-based work. This particular analysis is anchored on homeworkers’ ICT use
profile. Finally, the analysis examines gender issues and potentials of the gender governance
framework in effecting gender equality and women’s empowerment by looking at homeworkers’
experiences with regards to meanings attached to gender and technology, prevention of
marginalization of women in the labor market, making women visible in the economy, resolving
women in technology question, and resolving the technology.

17
DIAGRAM 1. ANALYTICAL FRAMEWORK
Enabling environment Activities addressing
Welfare gender equality and
Access empowerment issues
Control  Participation
Conscientization  Action
- Homeworkers’
 Assimilation
characteristics, household - Promotion of awareness of
and community conditions
gender gaps and need for
change
- Action towards ICT-
enabled home-based work
Homeworkers and ICTs in Southeast Asia
2 Research Project: The Research Process
18
Effects of efforts and
potentials for gender
governance
 Assessment of
progress
- Transformation of
meanings attached to
gender & technology
- Prevention of
marginalization of women
in the labor market
- Making women visible in
the economy
- Resolving women in
technology question
- Resolving the technology
 This research project will use secondary and primary data collected through three
methods, namely, a) secondary data analysis, b) key information interviewing, and c) case study.
Secondary data will come from a review of existing literature and statistical data, while primary
data will come from the interviews and case studies (Please refer to Diagram 2). The data set
comprises of a) homeworkers and community profile, b) homeworkers’ ICT use profile, and c)
gender issues and potentials of the gender governance framework in effecting gender equality
and women’s empowerment.

2.1 Research methods and data set to be collected

The first part of the data collection process is secondary data analysis, wherein the
researcher uses data collected by others. In this study, secondary data are made up regional and
in-country materials about homeworkers in Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand. These materials
include country reports on ICT, development project reports, theses reports, articles, books,
government reports, news reports, city/town records, research reports, as well as published and
unpublished materials of relevant organizations. Through Internet research and library and
resource center research, the research team will survey literature and data related to
homeworkers, gender issues faced by these homeworkers, and potentials of ICT use for these
groups. The survey will cover materials written between 1997 and the present, in English and
the national language. Materials dated before 1997 may also be included in the secondary data
analysis according to their relevance to the research.

The second part is key informant interviewing. Key informant interviewing comprises a)
interviews with 40 sectoral stakeholders, and b) interviews with 60 homeworkers from the
vulnerable groups.

The final part of the data collection process is the case study. Each country research team will
conduct one case study of a selected type of home-based work. The case study comprises of two
community/workplace observations, collection of at least 10 oral history/professional biography
of homeworkers who are pioneer ICT users, and six to eight focus group discussions with six to
eight homeworkers per session. The participants for the case study will come from the 60
homeworkers who participate in the key informant interviews.

DIAGRAM 2. RESEARCH METHODS TRIANGLE

Secondary Data Analysis

19
 Key Informant Interviews

Interviews with 40 Sectoral Interviews with 60

Stakeholders Homeworkers

NGOs Private Government Low income Ill Single mothers Impaired With dependents
Sector
Case Study

Observations of 2 Collection of the Oral Focus Group

homeworkers Histories of 10 Discussions with at least
homeworkers 36 homeworkers (6-8
focus group discussions)

Table 1 presents the Data Collection Scheme, which lists the data to be gathered for what
purpose, the sources, and instruments to be used.

TABLE 1. SUMMARY DATA COLLECTION SCHEME

Research Objective Data Set Data Source Data Collection
topic Technique/Instrument
 Home-  To gather evidence on Country/regional level
workers’ issues and  Types of women  Country reports on status of  Secondary data analysis/
socio- development homeworkers: Socioeconomic women, development project Formats for secondary
economic challenges of home- characteristics reports, theses reports, articles, data analysis
status based work and books, government reports, news
profile women homeworkers reports, city/town records,
 To identify research reports, published and
opportunities for unpublished materials of
women homeworkers relevant organizations; sources
to deploy ICT for include both Internet and library
work, improve or resource centers
production capability  Sectoral stakeholders (e.g.,  Key informant interview
and quality, reach and city/town officials; residents; with sectoral
create new markets officials and staff members of stakeholders/Key
 To undertake more in- organizations involved in Informant interview
depth research on women/labor/informal sector, guide for sectoral
ICT/entrepreneurial human resources, and stakeholders
barriers and indicators entrepreneurship development
based on programs; contractors)
“Empowering
homemakers through
a gender governance
framework”

20
Research Objective Data Set Data Source Data Collection
topic Technique/Instrument
City or capital town level
 Types of women  Secondary data analysis/
homeworkers: Characteristics,  Country reports on status of Formats for secondary
income-earning activities, women, development project data analysis
estimated percentages of reports, theses reports, articles,
homeworkers who are single books, government reports, news
mothers, physically impaired, reports, city/town records,
chronically ill, have disabled research reports, published and
or aged dependents, come unpublished materials of
from low-income families relevant organizations; sources
include both Internet and library
or resource centers  Key informant
 Sectoral stakeholders (e.g., interview/Key
city/town officials; residents; Informant interview
officials and staff members of guide for sectoral
organizations involved in stakeholders
women/labor/informal sector,
human resources, and
entrepreneurship development
programs; contractors  Key informant
Homeworkers interview/key informant
interview guide with
women homeworkers

 Charac-  To gather evidence on  Sectors where home-based  Country reports on status home-  Secondary data analysis/
teristics of issues and work are found; growth or based work, development project Formats for secondary
homework development decline of sectors since 1997 reports, theses reports, articles, data analysis
subsector challenges of home- (to be used as part of the books, government reports, news
based work and criteria for selecting home- reports, city/town records,
women homeworkers based work sectors to research reports, published and
 To identify include in the case study) unpublished materials of relevant
opportunities for organizations; sources include
women homeworkers both Internet and library or
to deploy ICT for resource centers
work, improve
production capability
and quality, reach and
create new markets
 Community  To uncover gender- Country and city or capital
profile specific issues for town level
women homeworkers  Existing ICT infrastructure  Country reports on ICT, Secondary data analysis/
to deploy ICT for  Profile of stakeholders government reports, news Formats for secondary
work within the public  Cost of electricity, and ICT reports, city or town records, data analysis
sphere and in their products, services, and research reports, published and
homes accessories (raw data and in unpublished materials of relevant
 To identify proportion to average organizations; sources include
opportunities for monthly income) both Internet and library or
women homeworkers  Enabling environment for resource centers
to deploy ICT for home-based work such as  Sectoral stakeholders (e.g.,  Key informant
work, improve legislation, local and global city/town officials; residents; interview/Key
production capability networks of suppliers and officials and staff members of Informant interview
and quality, reach and consumers including fair organizations involved in guide for sectoral
create new markets trade mechanisms women/labor/informal sector, stakeholders
 To understand the  Homeworkers’, government human resources; and
technology or development entrepreneurship development
appropriateness or organizations’ ICT programs, contractors)

21
Research Objective Data Set
topic
technology initiatives/processes of
understanding among interventions
women homeworkers
City or capital town level
 Existing ICT infrastructure
 Existing and/or potentially
available ICT4D solutions
 Profile of stakeholders
 Cost of electricity and ICT
products, services and
accessories (raw data and in
proportion to average
monthly income)
 Conditions of purchase and
use
 Homeworkers, government
or development
organizations’ ICT initiatives
Home- To uncover gender- Country/regional level
workers’ ICT specific issues for  Characteristics of ICT
usage profile women users/non-users
homeworkers to o Users: ICT skills, types of
deploy ICT for work ICT used and criteria for
within the public selection, manner and
sphere and in their purpose of ICT use, effect
homes on home-based work,
 To identify effect on status of women
opportunities for in family and community,
women unintended uses of
homeworkers to technology, networks of
deploy ICT for users
work, improve o Non-users: ICT skills,
production reasons for non-use
capability and  Enabling environment:
quality, reach and presence of network of users,
create new markets technical support, and ICT-
 To understand the enabled networks of home-
technology workers
appropriateness or  Problems encountered in ICT
technology use and types of assistance
understanding provided
among women
homeworkers City or capital town level
 To undertake more  Characteristics of ICT
in-depth research on users/non-users
ICT/entrepreneurial o Users: types of ICT used
barriers and and criteria for selection,
indicators based on manner and purpose of
22
Data Source Data Collection
Technique/Instrument
 Sectoral stakeholders (e.g., Key informant
city/town officials; residents; interview/Key
officials and staff members of Informant interview
organizations involved in guide for sectoral
women/labor/informal sector, stakeholders
human resources, and
entrepreneurship development
programs; contractors)
 Homeworkers Key informant
interview/Key informant
interview guide for
homeworkers
Focus group interview
with women
homeworkers/Focus
group interview guide
Oral history (at least 10
women homeworkers
who are pioneers in ICT
use)/Oral history
collection guide
Case study/Observation
guide
 Household and community Case study/Observation
guide
 Country reports on ICT, Secondary data analysis/
development project reports, Formats for secondary
theses reports, articles, books, data analysis
government reports, news
reports, city/town records,
research reports, published and
unpublished materials of
relevant organizations; sources
include both Internet and
library or resource centers
 Sectoral stakeholders (e.g., Key informant
city/town officials; residents; interview/Key
officials and staff members of Informant interview
organizations involved in guide for sectoral
women/labor/informal sector, stakeholders
human resources, and
entrepreneurship development
programs; contractors)
 Sectoral stakeholders (e.g., Key informant
city/town officials; residents; interview/Key
officials and staff members of Informant interview
organizations involved in guide for sectoral
women/labor/informal sector, stakeholders
Research Objective Data Set Data Source Data Collection
topic Technique/Instrument
‘Empowering ICT use, effect on home- human resources, and
homemakers through based work, effect on entrepreneurship development
a gender governance status of women in family programs; contractors
framework’ and community,  Homeworkers Key informant
unintended uses of interview/Key informant
technology, interview guide for
o Non-users: ICT skills, homeworkers
reasons for non-use Focus group interview
 Enabling environment: Focus group interview
presence of network of users, guide
technical support, and ICT- Oral history/Oral history
enabled networks of home- collection guide
workers  Case study/Observation
 Problems encountered in ICT  guide)
use and types of assistance  Household, community
 Case study/Observation
provided
guide)
 Gender  To gather evidence on  Issues related to presence of  Country reports on status of  Secondary data
equality issues and enabling environment for women, development project analysis/ Formats for
issues development home-based work, enabling reports, theses reports, articles, secondary data analysis
challenges of home- environment for ICT use, books, government reports, news
based work and activities (production reports, city/town records,
women homeworkers processes and actual efforts to research reports, published and
 To identify address GE concerns), effects unpublished materials of relevant
opportunities for of home-based work and ICT organizations; sources include
women homeworkers use on women homeworkers both Internet and library or
to deploy ICT for resource centers
work, improve  Sectoral stakeholders (e.g., Key informant
production capability city/town officials; residents; interview)/Key
and quality, reach and officials and staff members of Informant interview
create new markets organizations involved in guide for sectoral
 To uncover gender- women/labor/informal sector, stakeholders
specific issues for human resources, and
women homeworkers entrepreneurship development
to deploy ICT for programs; contractors)
work  Homeworkers Key informant
 To understand the interview/Key informant
technology interview guide for
appropriateness or homeworkers
understanding among Focus group interview
women homeworkers Focus group interview
 To undertake in-depth guide
research on Oral history/Oral history
ICT/entrepreneurial collection guide
barriers based on  Case study/Observation
‘Empowering guide)
homemakers through  Household, community
 Case study/Observation
a gender governance guide)
framework’

2.2 Research schedule

The schedule of preparatory activities, data collection, data analysis, writing of the
research report and the public presentation of research findings is presented in Table 2.
TABLE 2. MAJOR RESEARCH ACTIVITIES SCHEDULE
Activities Month

23
 Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar
Preparatory Activities X X
Secondary Data Analysis X X
Submission of Initial Findings Report X
(15 July) 15
Key Informant Interviewing & X X X
Analysis
Submission of Preliminary Technical X
Report (30 Aug) 30
Mid-Project Evaluation & Assessment X X
Oral History and Analysis X X
Focus Group Discussion and Analysis X X
Observation and Analysis X X
Analysis and Write-up X X X X
Submission of First Draft of Technical X
Report (25 Nov) 25
Submission of Second Draft of X
Technical Report (25 Jan) 25
Submission of Summary Report X
(15 Feb) 15
Dissemination of Information X
Submission of Third Draft of X
Technical Report (20 Mar) 20
Submission of Final Technical Report X
(31 Mar) 31

Likewise, the completion rate of each phase of data gathering is presented in Table 3.

TABLE 3. SCHEDULE OF COMPLETION PER RESEARCH METHOD

TOTAL TARGETED FOR COMPLETION DURING THE MONTH
TARGET MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT
I. Secondary As per list of
data analysis libraries or resource
% centers for review 90% 100%

II. Key Sectoral stakeholder

informant 10% 60% 30%
40 4 24 12
Interview
Homeworkers
% 10% 60% 30%
Number 60-90 6-9 36-54 18-27
III. Case Observation

100%
%
2 2
Number
Oral Histories 60% 40%
10 6 4
Focus Group 60% 40%
Discussion 6-8 4-5 2-3

2.3 Collecting the data

24
 Research teams are encouraged to conduct data collection and analysis in alternative
sequences. This means that analysis is done while in the field, with the analysis of the first
interview or observation leading to the next interview or observation, followed by more analysis,
and more fieldwork. In this way, researchers become sensitive to the issues that should be
investigated. Moreover, doing preliminary analysis in the field will alert researchers to data gaps
as well as major themes and issues, thus hastening the report writing stage.

The data collection guides and formats are to be found in Part II of this manual. Guides and
formats list topics, issues and questions to be discussed with specific key informants on a
particular topic or topics and issues to observe or read on.

2.3.1 How to use the guides and formats?

o Secondary data analysis guides
Please summarize the information from the materials reviewed into the respective formats.
Photocopy main pages and key tables for reference when writing final report and also for
establishing a mini library or mini resource center for your home organization.
Keeping materials used in the secondary data analysis as well as other forms of
primary data (e.g., interview transcripts, observation notes) well-documented will make it
easier for IDRC and eHomemakers to verify the authenticity of the research findings.
Please be sure to observe copyright laws. Photocopying of materials should be
restricted to research purposes. Always cite the sources of data and ideas (e.g., cite author
and year of publication, cite source of statistical data and year of publication) when
writing reports.

o Key informant interview and oral history collection guides

Please use the specified formats and the guides when conducting interviews, thus making
these guides and formats interview notes. Interview notes consist of words, phrases or
sentences that summarize the key informant’s statements at any time in the interview. They
also include the researcher’s statements. After the interview (e.g., in the evening), transcribe
the taped interviews and write an interview record using the specified guides and formats.
The interview record is a detailed reconstruction of an interview by the researcher and will be
used in the data analysis. Use the interview notes to write the interview record.

o Observation guide
You may choose to write your observation notes on the guide or on a separate sheet of paper
(e.g., notebook). Write your notes while observing and after the observation (e.g., in the
evening), clean your notes by providing the information asked for in the observation guide.

o Focus group discussion

The moderator and observer/note-taker can decide whether or not to use the guides while
conducting the group discussion. After the group discussion (e.g., in the evening), transcribe

25
 the taped discussions and complete the focus group discussion guide.
To make the interview records and observation guides ready for data analysis, transcribe
taped interviews, conversations and discussion by putting the relevant information on the
specified question and space provided in the research guide. Thus, you are not just manually
transcribing, you are also sorting out data along the guide questions.

o Order of questioning.
Feel free to change the order of the questions as the need arises (e.g., probing
opportunities, interrelated topics for further probing/confirmation of other issues).

Pilot testing of guides and formats. All team leaders are asked to do a pilot testing of the
questionnaires with a few subjects (at least 3 test interviews) so that they can conduct proper
training for the research assistants on the use of the research instruments.

Should interviews and focus group discussions be recorded?

o Whenever possible, audio record all interviews and group discussions. Taping
interviews and group discussions is being done to prevent data loss as researchers cannot
write as fast as the speed of the discussions.
o Ask permission from the respondents to tape the interviews.
o Be aware that transcription takes time (e.g., a 30-minute interview may take 60 minutes
to transcribe). Do allocate time for this in the research schedule.

• During observations, it may not be necessary to tape conversations as the researcher is

assumed to have the time to write the observation notes while observing the homeworker.
You may use a camera to take pictures of events and situations that may support a statement
in the written report. To minimize the risk of destroying the “naturalness” of the situation,
bring the camera along with you for some time until the participants are used to its presence.

When to start data analysis?

While there is a specified time set for data analysis and report writing, data analysis and data
gathering should be treated as iterative processes. To minimize data gaps, do preliminary
analysis of interviews and observations while still in the field. The analysis would also alert
you to snowball or to look for relevant information in the field.

2.3.2 Advantages and limitations of the research methods

This research project employs triangulation by using three data collection methods.
Social science researchers borrowed the term triangulation from land surveyors who locate a
third point by using two other points or landmarks. The third point is the researcher’s conclusion;
the first two help in locating it. Hence the more varied the data sources are in terms of sites,
informants, and data gathering methods, the more credible the conclusion is likely to be (Arce
2001).

Triangulation acknowledges that each research method has its strengths and weaknesses in
relation to the research question. Table 4 presents the applications, advantages and limitations of

26
the three research methods identified for this research project.

Table 4. Three research methods: A summary

Method Application Advantages Limitations
Secondary data For research whenever Saves time and Researcher has no control
analysis suitable data are available expense of data over possible biases in
collection; makes data; data may only
historical research partially fit current
possible research needs
Interviews/Survey For gathering information Interviews provide Questionnaires must be
about issues that cannot be in-depth responses carefully prepared;
directly observed, such as interviews are expensive
attitudes and values; and time-consuming
generates quantitative or
qualitative data
Case For study of people in a Allows study of Time-consuming;
study/Observation “natural” setting, that is “natural” behavior replication of research is
where people carry on difficult; researchers
their everyday lives must balance roles of
participant and observer
Adapted from Macionis, John, 1999, Sociology, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall

To minimize the weaknesses of secondary data analysis, this research project collects primary
data through interviews and observations. At the same time, the danger of not covering all the
relevant issues in the field is dealt by a review of existing literature and data to identify the issues
that must be pursued in this research. Moreover, observations make it possible to identify issues
(e.g., gender relations in the household) that may not be adequately discussed during interviews
or conversations.

2.3.3 Practical and ethical considerations

What are the things to consider when getting started? What must be taken in
consideration while conducting the research?

Practical considerations
• One of the most difficult aspects of doing research is deciding on a topic. In this research, you
are spared from this difficulty as the research questions have already been identified. Thus, the
starting point of the research is asking, “what have others already learned about homeworkers
and their use of ICTs for work (i.e., secondary data analysis).” However, while the research
questions have already been identified, research teams are encouraged to treat these questions
as initial ideas and allow what is relevant in the field to emerge (concepts not previously
identified but considered to be significant because they are repeatedly present or notably absent
in a setting, activity or event).

27
• Social science research is done with and for other people. Whether conducting secondary data
analysis or gathering primary data as is the case with interviews and case studies, the
researcher needs to develop interpersonal skills including listening skills, management skills,
collaborative skills, intra-personal skills, inclusive ways of researching, and appropriate style
of language, to ensure good relations.
• Inclusive ways in research involves using appropriate oral communication methods and
providing participants with a framework that enables them to express their own understanding
in their own terms. To make the most of an interview, it should proceed like a conversation.
This requires that you rely on an implicit list of questions (e.g., in contrast to an explicitly
visible survey questionnaire) and on questions that generate stories and accounts of events and
experiences.
• When dealing with organizations and community, get organizational commitment to conduct
this research. Try to talk to leaders of the organization and the community first before doing
any interview.

Ethical considerations
• Every research study that involves people must consider ethical concerns. Can the research
cause harm or threaten anyone’s privacy?
• Ethical research requires the informed consent of participants, which means that subjects
understand the responsibilities and risks that the research involves and agree – before the work
begins – to take part. Respondents must therefore be briefed about the research project and the
extent of their participation (e.g., interview to be taped, amount of time needed)
• You must also clear issues of confidentiality. Ways to maintain confidentiality of data:
- Focus on social position/characteristics of respondents and not just their names. For
example, you can choose age, gender, and occupation (e.g., food hawker, director of an
NGO providing credit) as social variables.
While the research project is committed to ensuring confidentiality of data and research
participants, please provide the names of homeworkers included in the research project in the
progress reports. Names of people and places are then changed in the final report.
- During focus group discussions, brief participants about the need to maintain the
confidentiality of the discussions.
- Do not collect more data than is necessary (e.g., probing about aspects of personal
relationships not directly related to home-based work).
• Before beginning the research, you must be familiar enough with the society or community to
understand what are the likely privacy violation or social-cultural taboos.
• Take note of the clauses on ethical concerns in the Agreement you signed with eHomemakers
and IDRC.

2.4 How To Do Secondary Data Analysis

The main goal of secondary data analysis is to identify the overall situation of the home-
based work sector (e.g., the enabling environment including socioeconomic profile, activities
including ICT use profiles), the themes and understandings from the literature about home-based
work in general, and home-based work and ICTs, in particular. These profiles and

28
understandings should give us an idea of the kinds of questions we should be pursuing when
conducting case studies and interviews.
To be included in the review are available technical literature (theses reports, books, articles,
research reports, journals) and non-technical literature (biographies, diaries, records, news
reports and other materials that can be used as primary data) written in English and the
national language between 1997 and the present. These materials can be available either as
Internet or library resources.

• Aside from developing a profile of homeworkers in terms of entrepreneurship

and ICT use, secondary data analysis is designed to provide a summary of the country
situation with regards to informal sector and ICT development as well as other background
information such as political and other social and cultural characteristics of the country or
community. This background information can further be developed in the interviews,
observations and focus group discussions.
Note to all teams:
• If you find information concerning the region or pertaining to partner countries in this research
project, please email the country team concerned to see if they have the information. If they do
not, please photocopy or summarize for them.
• To Thai team: As Thailand hosts a number of regional offices of UN organizations and their
resource centers/libraries, please search for relevant information for all country teams in these
resource centers. Information about the region is especially needed.

IMPORTANT!!!
Key words
In your search for literature, use the following key words and their equivalents in the local
language for types of work or individuals who can be classified as home-based work or
homeworkers or home-based workers (Please see Section 1.1, Definition of Terms).
 Contractor/Subcontractor
 Freelance
 Entrepreneurs, homepreneur or home entrepreneur or home-based entrepreneur
 e-homeworker; k-homeworker
 e-homepreneur; k-homepreneur.
 Off farm worker
 Own-account worker
 Outworker
 Part-timer
 Self-employed
 Telecommuting
 Teleworking
 Informal sector. Remember to include only materials that refer to informal sector
activities which are fully done at home

• First, get an overview of available materials on homeworking. Select materials for further
reading according to the following criteria: a) women who are working from home, b) women

29
 working from home who are based in urban areas of Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia and
other Southeast Asian countries. For example, narrow down the search by adding in “women”,
“female”, “urban”, “Indonesia”, “Malaysia”, “Thailand”, or “Southeast Asia” in the keywords
for home-based work or homeworkers. For example, “Homeworkers Malaysia” can be
expanded to “Female homeworkers Malaysia”, “Female urban homeworkers Malaysia”.
• Read the materials critically and purposely to pull together themes and issues that belong
together.

DIAGRAM 3. SECONDARY DATA ANALYSIS (ADAPTED FROM TAM, N.D)

Data Gathering. Using keyword search,

look for data on homeworkers and
homeworkers’ ICT use in library
catalogues of resource centers and
libraries, and online materials (Internet)

1) Compile data into a list of 2) Review relevant materials 3) Review relevant

materials on homeworkers, and write annotated materials and draw
homeworkers’ ICT use and bibliography/synopsis homeworkers’ profile
related topics and identify (Format 1.1B) (Formats 1.2-1.4)
materials for further review Note: Formats 1.3A and I.3B
(Format 1.1A) are to be filled up for the
purpose of justifying choice of
type of home-based
work/sector to be studied

30
Box 5. How to do Internet and library search: Getting started

Search engines
Library and internet search engines work by searching through an index from a database, which is automatically
compiled by computer-robot programs. The search engine tries to match your searched-for keywords with words
in the relevant texts. In most major libraries, databases are computerized and users can access the library
collection through any of the computers in the library. Some libraries have online databases such as JSTOR
(Journal Storage). To access these databases, go to the website of the institution hosting the library and look for
the link to the library. In the “Quick search” or “Search for” box, type in key words for the phenomenon you are
interested in and submit the request (Click “Go”). For internet search, the major search engines include:
Alltheweb. www.alltheweb.com
Alta Vista. www.altavista.com
Google. www.google.com
Infoseek. www.infoseek.com
* No single search engine is likely to find all possible information on a topic.
Information gateway-type resources
These Internet catalogs, subject directories, virtual libraries or gateways specialize in resources from a particular
field, and tend to be searchable as well as organized into a hierarchical format. Some of them work like a
catalogue resource for a particular field, while others are catalogues of catalogues. Examples of gateway-type
sites are:
ELDIS (www.eldis.org). The ELDIS gateway to Development Information serves as a central access point for
resource guides, country profiles, news, jobs, and other resources.
World Wide Web Virtual Library (www.vlib.org). The World Wide Web Virtual Library is run by a loose
confederation of volunteers, who compile pages of key links for particular areas in which they are experts. Even
though it is not the biggest index of the Web, the VL pages are widely recognized as being among the highest-
quality guides to particular sections of the Web.
SOSIG, Social Science Information Gateway (www.sosig.ac.uk). SOSIG is an educational and research service
that gives social scientists access to high-quality sources. Information is arranged in subject
sections.
Using the tools
Unpacking your query
Ask yourself questions to make the query clearer. For example: If you are interested in information about
Indonesian homeworkers, ask yourself relevant questions such as: Do I want to know about services available to
Indonesian homeworkers in urban areas, legislation affecting homeworkers, or general research in the area of
homeworker studies? Am I interested in current homeworkers issues or more of the period immediately after the
Asian Financial Crisis?
Try putting your query into one sentence. For example,
- Legislation affecting homeworkers in Indonesia
Split your sentence into concepts:
Concept 1: Legislation Concept 2: Homeworkers Concept 3: Indonesia
Be aware of other terms that could also be used to describe the concepts (Section 1.1, Definition of Terms). These
may include different spellings and synonyms. By thinking of alternative search terms, you can develop a range
of terms to use in conjunction with the features of various search tools.
Concept 1: Legislation, laws
Concept 2: Homeworkers, sub-contractors, own account workers, home entrepreneurs
Phrasing your query
An introduction to search syntax
Search syntax is the method used to link the concepts together appropriately for the search. Different search tools

31
2.5 How To Do Key Informant Interviewing
The goal of conducting key informant interviews is to determine issues, challenges and
activities concerning homeworkers and their use of ICT for work.
Key informants are individuals who have first-hand experience of a setting or event under
study. In this research, sectoral stakeholders and homeworkers are the main source of
information.
The criterion in the identification of sectoral stakeholders is past or current direct
involvement with homeworkers and home-based work. Include as key informants individuals
from government, NGOs, international development organizations, and community
organizations, businesses who provide work to homeworkers and other private companies in
human resource management and contract work who deal directly with homeworkers’ issues.

IMPORTANT!!! Do not interview information technology professionals or individuals who are

developing information technology products as this research is mainly about homeworkers and
their use of ICTs, unless these products are specifically designed for homeworkers.

The criteria in the identification of women homeworkers who will be included in this
research project are as follows: urban-based, low income, and some belonging to vulnerable
groups such as single mothers, chronically ill homeworkers, physically impaired homeworkers,
and homeworkers with aged and disabled dependents from low-income families. Homeworkers
as key informants include:
a) Homeworkers from low-income families from the vulnerable groups but also poor
women homeworkers who are “normal” (i.e., women who are from low-income families but
are not single mothers/being abandoned, physically impaired, chronically ill or have aged and
sick dependents)
b) Those who are currently doing home-based work, as well as former homeworkers
(i.e., those who did home-based work in the past but are now fully employed outside of the
home or no longer work to earn income for various reasons)

Select homeworkers from sectors which are growing or those which are placed at the priority
lists under national development agenda (e.g., sectors which are currently getting government
attention; small and medium sized enterprises) or those sectors which can illustrate gender and
development issues (e.g., former sex workers who have become homeworkers in the handicraft
sector).
Select homeworkers who have some form of access to ICTs but may not use them to a large
extent, or those who are ready to be helped and are more receptive to ICT. But at the same
time, the research teams must study the reasons why others may have absolutely no interest
and/or are against ICTs. Could it be unionized activities? Could it be the informal sector’s
particular character (e.g., buyers do not use ICT so homeworkers resist the use or refuse to see
the potential)? Could it be cartels and other dominant groups such as “middlemen” and
wholesalers which bar the homeworkers from socioeconomic development and knowledge

32
access? Could the ICT barriers be social-cultural in nature? Could age, proximity to areas with
high ICT usage, family and other personal factors determine the lack of or no interest in ICTs?
Look for the homeworkers first and see what ICTs tools they are using.
Do not use the term “ICT” in the field. If you want to ask the question, “What ICT tools do you
use?” Ask indirect questions. For example: “How do you buy your raw material? Do you walk to
the market or do you call the shop? Do you make products only when the community radio
announces the sales or arrivals of raw materials?”

Please see Box 6 for an illustration of how to identify home-based sectors and homeworkers.
Box 6. How to select homeworkers as key informants
From the preliminary analysis of initial materials and key informant interviews with sectoral
stakeholders, what concepts and themes (issues) concerning homeworkers and home-based work
would you consider to be significant because they are repeatedly present or notably absent in a
setting, activity or event?

1. Write down these issues.

2. Write down the range of activities and variety of home-based work and homeworkers.
Which sectors of home-based work do you think you could find these issues? The selection of a
case study can proceed by selecting an activity that is very well-represented in terms of actors
(e.g., activity or setting with highest number of homeworkers within a bounded territory) and
issues (e.g., activity or setting that produces certain patterns such as high business competition
among homeworkers since almost everybody would be producing the same product or service,
and as a result, business would eventually fold up).
3. Check the accessibility to homeworkers from the selected site/type of home-based
activity.

How to make the most of key informant interviews?

A key informant is a source of personal information and on patterns on community or group he

or she belongs to. Thus, key informants’ opinions, ideas and behaviors can be extended to a
larger group of people by asking them to estimate how far their views/opinions are shared by
others in the group or community.
When conducting interviews, a researcher has to be naive and well-informed at the same
time. Thus, the researcher goes to the interview with a general idea of the phenomenon, the
details of which will be supplied by the key informant.
o Do background reading. The ability to ask questions depends, among other things, on how
much the researcher knows about the topic. A starting point for building knowledge about
the phenomenon is the analysis of existing literature and data.
o As mentioned in Section 2.3.2, make the interview proceed like a conversation. This
requires that you rely on an implicit list of questions (e.g., in contrast to an explicitly visible
survey questionnaire) and on questions that generate stories and accounts of events and
experiences. Start with the most general questions and then narrowing them down based on
the previous answers.

33
 For example, when interviewing a key informant who is the director of a skills training
project for homeworkers, you can ask:
o General question: What kinds of activities are your project supporting?
o Follow-up questions: For each type of activity, how many homeworkers
participated? Of these, how many were women? Profile? How many were men?
What problems has the project encountered with the training? Are some of these
problems unique to women participants/men participants? What solutions have
been tried? What were the results?
How long should the interview last? Ordinarily one hour is a good length for an interview.
This duration gives the researcher enough time to ask questions without taxing the informant too
much. But conversation has no time constraint; whether the interview has indeed become a
conversation or vice versa can only be judged by the researcher and the key informant.

DIAGRAM 4. KEY INFORMANT INTERVIEWING ACTIVITIES

Box 7. How to choose key informants
Identify potential key informants
(See Box 6)
Contact potential key informants
and secure cooperation
Note: Try to have a more or less
equal number of informants from
NGOs, government, and private
sector (e.g., 10-15 from each
group), and interview only
officers/heads of each
organization.
Conduct interviews using key
informant interview guide cum
format (Table IIA and IIB for
sectoral stake holders and Table
IIC for homeworkers)
(Accomplish interview notes)
 Sectoral stakeholders
- Read the literature to know which groups and individuals
from the NGO, government, and private sector are
involved with women homeworkers either through
research, development projects, and business contracts
- Read up materials for contact information or ask around
for contacts to the principal people involved in these
projects and researchers
- Initiate contact by explaining the purpose of your
research. In some cases, you may need to prepare a letter
explaining the nature of the research and the need for
data collection. When writing letters, use the letterhead
of your organization (e.g., ICT4D Collaboratory) or of
this research project.
 Homeworkers
- Read the literature to know: in which areas of home-
based work are women likely to be found and/or ask
around (e.g., from sectoral stakeholders) for referrals
- Make sure that you include homeworkers from the five
vulnerable groups identified for research (i.e., single
mothers, chronically ill, physically impaired, low-
income, and having aged and disabled dependents)
- Initiate contact by explaining the purpose of your
research
Sampling replacement
- Be ready to approach more than 40 sectoral stakeholders
and 60 homeworkers as many of the individuals you will ask
for interviews may refuse to participate in the research

After each interview, check Table If there are data gaps, go back to the key informant
for completeness of information for missing data (During the interview, ask informant
(Accomplish interview record) if you may contact her again for data validation)

34
2.6 How To Do A Case Study

The goal of a case study is to understand the everyday life-world of homeworkers vis-à-
vis their work and adoption of ICTs. From the homeworkers chosen as key informants, teams
would choose at least two homeworkers for observations, at least 36 homeworkers for six to
eight FGD sessions, and ten homeworkers for oral history/professional biography.
Homeworkers selected as key informants may come from varied types of home-based work as
long as their situation illustrates the gender issues highlighted by the analysis of secondary data
and key informant interviews with sectoral stakeholders. Since a case study is the study of
groups in their natural setting, it would however be preferable to select the participants of the
case study in each site from a single type of home-based work or group that illustrate gender
issues under investigation (e.g., The Indonesian team might want to select homeworkers who
process fish for the case study; the Thai team may work on sex workers who have become
homeworkers). Aside from this consideration, choose homeworkers for the case study according
to how articulate and willing they are about sharing their experiences and insights.

The selection of individual participants for the case study (observations, key informant
interviews and focus group discussions) should correspond to three criteria:
a) How the homeworker’s experiences reflect gender and technology issues such as ICT use and
entrepreneurial barriers;
b) Quality of the homeworker’s participation in the key informant interviews; and
c) Relationship developed between the homeworker and the researcher.

In addition, select homeworkers who have some form of access to ICTs but who may not use
these ICTs regularlywhether for personal or for work.
To maximize sampling of homeworkers and to respect homeworkers’ time, please do not
recycle research participants in the case study (e.g., do not include in the focus group
discussion homeworkers who participate in the oral history collection and observations).

Observations
Case studies rely on observations and conversations. Observations are done because it is
particularly useful to give illustrations (qualitative information such as narratives and
descriptions) to clarify the quantitative data that you are presenting.
Use observation to study gender relations and ICT usage issues in the household and
community. Gender issues such as access to resources (e.g., food sharing in the household,
control of resources when the woman is the home-based worker but her husband does the
product distribution thus collecting the earned income) may not be adequately covered in an
interview or a discussion.

35
 • Keep a systematic record of the data that is being collected. These can be personal diaries
(containing your own observations on problem areas), observation notes, transcripts, and
minutes of meetings.
• It is very important that the subject of observation feels at ease with your presence and takes
your presence as a researcher for-granted. Show interest in the homeworker’s life but focus
your observations and conversations to aspects related to home-based work and
potentials for the use of ICT for work. For example, when making observations of the
community, write about the absence or presence of ICT infrastructure such as Internet shops
and pay phones, transportation network, number of home-based workers producing the same
product and other indicators of potentials for home business.
How long should observations be done? The quality and length of observation times would
vary from researcher to researcher and from subject to subject. In general, try to conduct
observations over a two-week period. If it is possible, visit the household/place of work
everyday, although there is no need to be there 24 hours! There is no general rule as to how
many hours a day you should be conducting the observation; in general, be sensitive as to when
or how long your presence is welcomed.

• To cover the various aspects of the homeworker’s life, vary your times of observations to cover
morning, afternoon and evening activities, as well as weekend and weekday activities.
• You can also ask the homeworker which important activities she would be doing in the two-
week period and if you could join her in these activities.
• Stop your observations even before the two-week period if you think that you are not getting
any more new information.

See Diagram 5 below for the flow chart on how to conduct observation

DIAGRAM 5. OBSERVATION ACTIVITIES

Select 2 homeworkers from the 60 key informants for observation

Observe each homeworker/site for a period of two weeks, varying observation times to cover
morning, afternoon and evening activities, as well activities in the public and private sphere

Using Table IIIA, write down your observations as you observe them.

After each observation session, check Table IIIA for completeness of information

Close the observations (even before the two-week period) if data saturation has been reached

36
2.6.2 Professional Biography/Oral History
The goal of collecting oral history is to determine the work trajectory or development
of their home-based business or work over time (hence, oral history is also professional
biography) of homeworkers, their ICT usage, determination of related issues/potentials of ICT
usage, and gender governance towards gender equality and empowerment.
Try to find pioneer homeworkers (e.g., homeworkers who were among the first to start a
particular type of business or homeworkers who have relatively long experience in a particular
type of work) who have some form of access to ICTs but may not use them to a large extent.
• Like in the interviews, try to have the collection of professional biography proceed like a
conversation.
• Focus on questions that generate stories and accounts of events and experiences. For
example, you can start the conversation by asking how the homeworker became a
homeworker. From there, you can backtrack to childhood experiences and whether or not
these experiences relate to the person’s present occupation, and proceed along the
person’s life cycle (e.g., adulthood, in school, at work, during marriage).
How long should an oral history interview last? The normal length of interview is one
hour. Again, conversations could take longer.

DIAGRAM 6. COLLECTION OF ORAL HISTORY ACTIVITIES

Select 10 homeworkers from the 60 key informants

Contact homeworkers and secure cooperation for the research project

(Sampling replacement: Be ready to approach more than 10 homeworkers as many of
the individuals you will ask for interviews may refuse to participate in the research)

Conduct interviews using Table IIIB (i.e., accomplishing interview notes)

After each interview, check Table IIIB for completeness of information (i.e., completing
interview record)

2.6.3 Focus Group Discussion

Focus groups are not designed to help a group reach consensus or make decisions, but
rather to elicit the full range of ideas, attitudes, experiences, and opinions held by a selected
sample of homeworkers on the topic of using ICT.

37
Use focus group discussions to examine
a) Reasons for non-use of ICTs: Why homeworkers are not using ICTs, why they have no
access, and potentials for homeworkers to organize themselves using ICTs, access
networks of information and resources (e.g., suppliers, markets, information, assistance).
b) Technology appropriateness. What forms, shapes, materials, and audio/visual features are
appropriate in relation to homeworkers’ age/illness/disability/home situation; how is ICT
used with what part of the body or how it can be used more effectively and efficiently;
how homeworker’s homelife and worklife affect the usage intervals/timing/regularity or
vice versa; how the ICT usage add/lessen work/family burden or change power
relationships within the family, and what are homeworkers’ ideas of or wishes for ICTs
that can do things they want.

• Selected homeworkers discuss and debate issues surrounding the use of ICT for
home-based work in a guided interaction setting.
• To conduct focus group discussions, you need a moderator and an observer/note
taker. The moderator is the discussion leader and is responsible for the direction that
the focus group takes. The main task of the observer is to observe the session and to
take notes. If the session is not being recorded, then the observer will need to catch
every response as he or she can in his or her observer notes. On the other hand, if the
session is being tape recorded, then the observer can later transcribe the tapes to
complement his or her observer notes.
• To increase the fluidity of group dynamics, use the local language or the language
that the participants, including the moderator and note taker, are comfortable
with to conduct the discussions.
• If possible sit the group in a circle. This technique of group discussion will help
maximize the participation of participants as each one would be fully visible to the
other.
• Try to conduct the discussions in an informal setting. Choose a venue that does not
require participants to travel far, but at the same time permits about 10 people to sit
and talk with the least distraction. Discussions can be done in informal settings at a
time suitable to them (e.g., under coconut trees and in homeworkers’ normal
gathering places such as the community well/tap/market). Other possible venues are:
homes of homeworkers which has a space for small meetings, neighborhood
restaurants or cafes during non-peak hours, and small meeting rooms of town halls,
universities, and institutes if access can be arranged.
• Setting the agenda. During these group sessions, you can briefly present preliminary
findings from the key informant interviews, observations, or oral histories. The task
is to orient the group’s examination of the material and to invite them to go further in
their analysis of their own situation.
• It is important to explore responses that are given during the focus group and may
not be expected by the research team. This requires the moderator to be familiar with
this research project so he or she will not miss the opportunity to explore something
relevant.
• The moderator can pursue ideas that are generated during the discussion. Motivations,
feelings, and values behind reactions to issues can be elicited through probing,

38
 restating questions, and eliciting opinion from others in the group.
• Be aware when one or two participants dominate discussions and when the others
simply agree to a statement presented. In this case, break the trend by consciously
asking the quiet participants for their ideas.
• Make sure that you protect the confidentiality of personal data when sharing
findings of the research. To start with, do not mention names in illustrative stories.
How long should focus group discussion last? Focus groups normally range from
one to two hours in duration.
DIAGRAM 7. FOCUS GROUP DISCUSSION ACTIVITIES

Select at least 36 homeworkers from the 60 key informants for focus group discussion

Contact homeworkers and secure cooperation for the research project

(Sampling replacement: Be ready to approach more than 36 homeworkers as many of
the individuals you will ask for interviews may refuse to participate in the research)

Conduct focus group discussions

Using Table IIIC, moderator guides the discussion; observer/note taker accomplishes Table IIIC

After each group discussion session, check Table IIIC for completeness of information

2.7 How to analyze data

Your analyses of situation of women homeworkers and the recommendations you will
make based on these analyses could lead to revolutionizing of the informal sector.
Example 1. Thailand used to neglect environmental issues while concentrating on mass
production of natural resources-dependent and low-priced products to overseas market. Now, the
present government wants ICT development. So it has allocated funds for ICT4D. Lately, several
provinces suffered unusual long periods of drought, so there is increased national awareness
about sustainable development and balanced growth. The Thai team could look into the future of
the informal sector which relies on extraction of natural resources. Could ICT be used to access a
niche market th offers a higher price thus, protecting the homeworkers’ earning and Thailand’s
resources?

Example 2: High oil prices, an external factor which is beyond the homeworkers’ control, affect
homeworkers via transport costs which in turn affect costs of raw materials and product prices.
These in turn affect homeworkers’ access to markets and different market types (e.g., niche
markets mass markets). Each country research team can examine how ICTs can be used to
reduce the costs of raw materials purchased by homeworkers,vas well as the costs of
production/transportation/marketing of final products.

39
Steps in data analysis:

Step 1. Put the various materials together in such a way that they follow a common format. The
accomplished secondary data analysis and interview formats, as well as observation and group
discussion records are documents that are ready to be used for analysis.
Step 2. Open up the data and construct a logical system of categories and classify the raw data
according to this system.
• Quantitative data
o In the analysis of quantitative data (i.e., data on socioeconomic profile from secondary
data and key informant interviews), you can use descriptive statistics. The most useful
ones are the mean (arithmetic average of a series of numbers, calculated by adding all the
values together and dividing by the number of cases) and mode (the value that occurs
most often in a series of numbers).
o Always present your quantitative findings in percentages, while indicating the sample
size. For example, having a table of raw numbers of homeworkers who use particular
types of ICTs (e.g., 40 homeworkers use mobile phones) is less useful than having a table
with percentages of n homeworkers using particular types of ICTs (e.g., 83% percent of
48 homeworkers in a given organization uses mobile phones).
o Focus your analysis on patterns as indicated by the mean and mode.

Item N Percentage
Homeworkers who use 40 83%
mobile phones
… … …
Total 48 100%

• Qualitative data
o To do qualitative analysis, look for concepts by doing word for word, sentence for
sentence, or paragraph for paragraph analysis of data (interview transcripts, written
materials and observation notes).
o Code ideas and meanings, including sequences of action and interaction into concepts.
You can use in vivo codes – concepts that come from the respondents themselves. List
down the concepts that you come up with.

Step 3. Identify the relationship in the data and categories. One useful device for examining data
is the flow diagram.
Step 4. Summarize the data.
After coming up with a number of concepts and categories, identify the central or core category.
The core category is the main theme of the research - condensed in a few words to explain what
this research is all about.
Use the following themes to guide the analysis while remaining open to themes that may
emerge during the analysis:
1) Enabling environment for homeworkers and use of ICT for work
a. Homeworker’s personal characteristics

40
 b. Community conditions
c.Country situation with regards to the informal sector, ICT infrastructure,
politics, and other social and cultural nuances (Background information)
2) Activities to address gender equality and empowerment issues
c) Promotion of awareness of gender gaps and acceptance of need for change
d) Action towards ICT-enabled home-based work
3) Effects of efforts to address gender equality and empowerment issues on women
homeworkers and potentials for gender governance
a) Transformation of meanings attached to gender and technology
b) Preventing marginalization of women in the labor
c) Making women visible in the economy
d) Resolving “women in technology question”
e) Resolving the “technology question”
f) How the present study validate or refute findings of other studies
particularly eHomemaker’s gender governance research (Please refer to
Section 1.2.1)

Please see Box 8 for the data analysis scheme vis-à-vis the indicators and research questions of
the research project.
How to interpret responses to questions vis-à-vis indicators:
Example 1: If the indicator is “Homeworker’s characteristics”, then responses to questions would
give us an idea as to the skills that homeworkers have, the processes of transmission of
knowledge and skills, and how ICT use enhance the processes of knowledge and skills
transmission.
Example 2: If the indicator is “Preventing marginalization of women in the labor market”, then
findings which show that homeworkers do not have self-confidence and self-esteem, are not able
to sustain/contribute to household expenses from own income and profit, do not have/have
limited knowledge of gender and entrepreneurial issues, can be used to argue that there is a need
for assistance/improve current form of assistance given to homeworkers. The proposed form of
assistance could now then incorporate the 5A process of change of the Gender Governance
Framework.
Example 3: The goal of analyzing the current situation among homeworkers – for example, are
they aware of the need to change their situation, are they taking the initiative to acquire ICT
skills, are they using ICTs for work – is to establish whether or not women can empower
themselves to go through the five stages of gender governance. IF they are already using ICTs,
IF they are already organized, IF they have self- confidence, IF the household supports them,
etc., THEN some homeworkers are either in some stages of gender governance or are most likely
to be capable of gender governance (e.g., manage information and networks for improved
welfare, access, etc.)

Box 8. Doing analysis

Go through the different types of data you have gathered (i.e., secondary data, key informant interviews,
observations, focus group discussion) and find evidences for the different levels of empowerment and
gender equality, and 5A processes of change. Based on the research project’s “Analytical Framework”, the
following would be the main points of data analysis:

41
I. Key research theme: ENABLING ENVIRONMENT
Levels of analysis: Welfare, Access, Control, Conscientization/Awareness/Acceptance for need of change
Empirical areas of inquiry:
Homeworkers’ characteristics
Sample questions (as found in the guides and formats) to build data (INDICATORS)
a) Is there a high number of homeworkers who have ill health? Are physically impaired? Single
mothers? Have aged and sick dependents? Are from low-income families? What are the lifestyle
patterns that affect their disadvantaged situations? (SPECIFIC DISADVANTAGED SITUATION,
DEPENDENTS)
b)What types of skills are common among homeworkers? How did they learn their skills? Orally and
observation through family elders? Demonstration by others? Could the skill learning be enhanced
with ICT usage to others? (LIVELIHOOD SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE, ICT SKILLS AND
KNOWLEDGE)
c)What type of ICT skills do homeworkers have? Which of these ICT skills can be used for work?
(LIVELIHOOD SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE, ICT SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE,
ENTREPRENEURIAL INERTIA)
d)Do women homeworkers recognize the need for change in their conditions? What is the level of and
characteristics of recognition? (SELF-AWARENESS)
e)Do women homeworkers recognize the potentials of ICT in their work? If so, how do they tap the
potentials and for what purposes? Any self-motivated initiatives that show self-governance?
(LIVELIHOOD SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE, ICT SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE,
ENTREPRENEURIAL INERTIA, SELF-CONFIDENCE)
Household characteristics
Sample questions (as found in the guides and formats) to build data (INDICATORS)
a) Where do you currently live? (LOCATION)
b) Why have you become a homeworker? What are you reasons for staying at home? (SPECIFIC
DISADVANTAGED SITUATION, DEPENDENTS)
c) Who helps you in the household chores? Who helps you in doing your home-based work?
(HOUSEHOLD SUPPORT)
Community conditions
Sample questions (as found in the guides and formats) to build data (INDICATORS)
a) What are the types of homeworkers in the community? How big is the number for each homeworker
type? What range of products do they produce? How is the community’s reception of their work? Is
there any community assistance for raw materials purchasing, marketing, delivery, group organizing,
networking? (NETWORKS, HOMEWORKING OPPORTUNITIES, COMPETITION,
ADVERTISING AND MARKETING)
b) Is there an existing network of suppliers, markets, and relevant groups (e.g., cooperatives, groups
sharing information and technical support) for and by homeworkers? How did this come about?
How long did it take to establish this network? How is this network maintained? (NETWORKS,
HOMEWORKING OPPORTUNITIES,)
c) Are there facilities and services for mothers, and physically impaired and not-so healthy women in
the community? What are these? (SUPPORTIVE PUBLIC AMENITIES)
d) Is there legislation referring to home-based work? What are these? Social protection? Wages?
Safety? Hygiene? Drainage? (EXISTING POLICIES)
e) Are gender equality concerns integrated in laws concerning home-based work? What are these?
(EXISTING POLICIES)
f) What development projects have been introduced to homeworkers? Do these include ICT-related
projects? What projects? How are the projects implemented? (HOMEWORKING
OPPORTUNITIES)
g) Are gender equality concerns integrated into these projects? How have they been done? (EXISTING
POLICIES)

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2.7.1 How to ensure the validity and verifiability of findings
Team leaders and members would have to deal with the issue of reducing error in various
phases of data collection. This research itself has already taken the step towards this by varying
the evidence through triangulation (please see Section 2.3.1).

Some more suggestions for team leaders to control errors in data (Adapted from Arce 2001):
• Varying the researchers working on the same area (e.g., research methods
or types of respondents). Two researchers, working independently of each other will come up
with two data sets and two sets of findings. The work of one provides a check on the work of
the other. For example, by assigning two-three researchers to do key informant interview
with homeworkers, the team leader will have an idea of the possible range of data set and
findings.
• Getting the testimony of other knowledgeable people on the possible
pattern. “Knowledgeable people” are of two types, namely, informants from the research site
and one’s colleagues.
o The team leaders can go to the site and conduct some of the scheduled interviews.
o Another option is to consult with key informants from the site who will vary in their
ability to read a technical report. In many cases, the team leader may need to “translate” a
report/data set to simpler or non-academic terms. Prepare questions on the parts of the
report/data set that the team leader is uncertain about so that these questions can be posed
to the informant.
o The team leaders can also talk to colleagues who have specialized knowledge of
homeworkers and ICT use.

• Documenting the research process. Documentation is the researcher’s record of the process
and fulfills several purposes: to allow an interested and qualified third party (including team
leaders) to judge whether or not the researcher has gone through the research process
competently, and to serve as a systematic review of the research that should be done
periodically. Much of the material is produced and stored with the researcher.

o Parts of the research documentation:

- Research proposal
- Instruments (formats and guides)
- Photocopies of written materials such as research articles and statistical reports
(secondary data). Photocopy every material used in the secondary data analysis
- Complete written data set consisting of completed secondary data analysis,
interview, and observation formats and guides
- Research notes and summaries in the form of flow diagrams and tabular
presentations
- Reports that are written at the end

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2.8 How to write a research report
Note: The IDRC-specified format for the technical report requires the following items and
sections on the reports:
Title page and table of contents
Synthesis
Research problem
Research findings
Fulfilment of objectives
Project design and implementation
Project outputs and dissemination
Capacity-building
Project management
Impact
Overall assessment
Recommendations

This section talks about how to write the “Findings” section of the technical reports. For the
IDRC-specified format of the various technical and financial reports, please refer to Chapter 7
(Preliminary Technical and Financial Report Guideline) and Chapter 8 (Final Technical and
Financial Report Guideline) of the accompanying document, Research Management Guide.

See Box 8 below for more clarification of data organization.

Box 8. Organizing the “Findings” section of the technical report

After generating descriptive statistics and identifying the core category, write the report’s
storyline (i.e., what story would the report present?).
Steps:
• Make a list of what you want to convey to your audience. What information should be
at the beginning? At the end?
• Think of the story in terms of “chapters”.
• Sort key material into blocks and organize the blocks in a sequence.
• Diagram the pattern of the story.
• Write an outline. Draw a tree and fill in the branches.
• Seek a natural order for the story: narrative, chronological, pyramid, problem and
solution, follow-up, a visit with…, a walk through…, a day in the life of….
• Give yourself a specified amount of time to write. When your time is up, assess where
you are headed with the story.
• The final report usually includes all the substantive parts of the outline of the proposal
written previously.
• When writing the text of the report:
o Give information in the lead that will make the reader ask a question. Answer with
information that sparks a new question. Continue until all questions are answered.
o Write headings for each section and sub-section. Choose headings that are precise,
and descriptive of the contents.
o Hold the reader by the hand by writing a short introduction (e.g., a 2-3 sentence

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 introduction) to each section.
o Present your findings along the themes and framework of the research project and
other themes that may emerge during the research. This way, concepts and
empirical data complement each other.

For example: Whether presenting library data, statistics from the key informant
interviews, analytically informed description of cases of home-based work,
organize findings into the following themes:
- The enabling environment or the contexts, structures and mechanisms
supporting women homeworkers and their use of ICTs for work
- Activities or actual efforts to address gender equality issues of urban women
homeworkers
- Effects of efforts to address gender equality issues and potentials for Gender
Governance
- How the findings validate or refute other studies on home-based work and ICT
use, particularly ehomemakers’ gender governance framework and indicators
for barriers to ICT/e-entreprenuership.

o You can present your findings per type of homeworker. For example, when
presenting findings for enabling environment from the key informant interviews
with homeworkers, you can include a sub-section or a sentence or two on the
enabling environment for single mothers, etc.
o Organize the findings per research method: Start with findings from the analysis of
secondary data, followed by findings from key informant interviews, and then
finally, findings from the case studies.

Adapted from International Women’s Media Foundation, 2005

• Write your report according to IDRC Guidelines.

• After a series of writing and re-writing your draft, learn to let go.

See Box 9 below for terms that should be used in reports for this research to avoid confusion.

Box 9. List of standard terms to use in writing reports

 Child not kid
 Children not kids
 Employer – anyone or any company that provides a job that pays wages or a
salary. To be specified as client, contract or outsource companies
 Homemaker not housewife
 Homepreneur - when we know that the homeworker owns and runs a business
from her home
 Internet or the Net
 Information and communication technology or ICT
 ICT not IT
 K-economy or knowledge-based economy

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  K-homeworkers - people who are paid to work from home on projects using ICT such as
laptops, desktops, Apple iBook, tablet PCs, eMacs, PDA-cum-mobile phones, and
camcorders
 K-homepreneurs - Entrepreneurs who run their own homebased businesses using ICT
 Low-cost apartment not low-cost flat
 Special not handicapped
 Work at home mothers and fathers not working at home mothers and fathers
 All key words listed in Section 1.1, Definition of Terms.

Adapted from ehomemakers 2004.

2.9 Concluding remarks

The study of social phenomenon, the situation of homeworkers and their ICT use for
work– requires a good deal of common sense. Combining common sense, systematic research
procedures and rules provide the assurance that the findings and conclusions from the research
are valid and reliable, and that consequent actions taken after the research are defined by the
ground situations.

Remember: We want to understand the situation of homeworkers because we want to help them

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