TECHNOLOGY USE AMONG RURAL WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS. THE CASE OF TAMAULIPAS, MEXICO

This research analyzes the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) by rural women entrepreneurs in the state of Tamaulipas, Mexico. These technologies are linked to the conditions under which women are living in rural contexts in Tamaulipas. The analyzed data focus mainly on the use of computer and communication technologies for educational purposes and economic development. Following a qualitative methodological approach under an exploratory not correlational method guided by the objectives of the research, the responses of a questionnaire applied to a sample of rural women entrepreneurs in the state of Tamaulipas were analyzed. The emphasis of the questionnaire was on the perception of this group of women in relation to access and use of ICT. Participants who answered the questionnaire were rural women entrepreneurs. It was found that in rural areas of Tamaulipas there is a problem to access computers and the Internet. Residents of these rural communities are not taking advantage of the opportunities offered by the Internet as a potential route to economic growth. It was also observed that the conditions in access to technology in rural areas in the state, have been influenced significantly by the isolation conditions prevailing in each community, such situation is associated with the dispersion of the locations, and therefore the phenomenon has a spatial and social nature that needs to be considered for their reduction and attention.