For smart women dotcom

A WHOLE new world is promised to us through the dotcom revolution. Information at your finger tips. Connectivity. The world is your oyster. But is it? Does this exciting new media of the internet differ from the old media of print with which we are all too familiar? Is it gender neutral? Does it give women a chance to access information on subjects that are otherwise inaccessible to them?

To check my hunches I tried out a list of new women's sites that have been advertised or have gained currency by word of mouth. "I am everywoman" declares one, "For smart women, smarter ideas" states another. Some have intriguing names - sitagita.com or smartbahu.com. Others have unimaginative, predictable names like "Indian Women Online, the cyber home for women of Indian descent".

None of them, I am afraid, grab your attention. Their contents are only too familiar to anyone who reads mainstream women's magazines. Health, beauty, marital problems, parenting, fashion, astrology, recipes, home decor - most of the sites mirror each other in their contents. Some have innovative headlines - "Honey, I shrunk the wrinkles!" says one. But the article has nothing more than one has already read umpteen times about wrinkles that actually never disappear no matter how hard you try.

Why is it presumed that the Indian women who check out women's sites will only be interested in the same formula that is already available in women's magazines? The content of these sites exposes the shaky basis of so many dotcom ventures. It does not appear as if any effort has been made to check who their readers are, what their mental make up is, and whether they are the type of women who would turn to the internet for information they can get in attractively laid out hard copy which can be read at any time, at any place.

It is probable that many young women professionals use the internet. Even if they do not have personal connections, they would possibly have access to a connection in their offices. Looking at a women's site would be recreational activity, not something they would do if they were busy doing an unrelated task, such as dealing with stocks and shares, or working in a bank. Would such women really have the time for surfing the net for the odd site that would provide them information that they as women need?

If these women are single, then perhaps they would have time to wait late in the office to do this, or would have singular access to a computer at home without having to compete with husband or children. If they are married, there is a slim chance of them having the time, either at work or at home, to browse the internet. Therefore, by a process of elimination one can assume that the majority of the women accessing women's portals would be younger women who are either students or in professions.

Although health, fashion, relationships and astrology interest men and women of all ages, these days, younger women are also interested in a great many more subjects than perhaps were their mothers. For instance, increasingly women want to know about financial matters - taxes, investments and savings. Whether single or married, many professional women have realised the need to understand the world of finances for reasons of survival even if these areas do not interest them greatly. Barring a couple of sites, none of the sites had anything on this.

One of the sites that did feature such information - Indian Women Online - handled the subjects in about the right amount of detail and successfully demystified subjects that are usually deliberately made complex by those who want to remain in control. As such people are usually men, women find themselves always at a disadvantage on money matters. The site also had information on taxes, another area that is made to appear more complex than it actually is. Sitagita.com also had an article on "Bulls and Bears" that explained how the stockmarket works.

It was also Indian Women Online - which actually has a very traditional look - that had a panel of experts who spelt out laws on sexual harassment, dowry and cruelty.

This again is an area where women often want to be able to check for themselves what the law is about before they decide to act. Often finding a lawyer, or someone who can explain the possibilities to them becomes difficult.

The internet is ideal for women to access such information in some privacy, particularly if they are caught in a situation that requires legal recourse. Yet, barring this one site, none of the others considered this an area worthy of developing for Indian women.

What was missing on all sites was politics. Why is it assumed that women are not interested in politics, that they do not have views on current events in India or outside? A site which allows women to air their views on current politics would probably yield some unexpected results. For on what are considered the "hard" areas - politics, economics, national security and the law - the old media continues to be dominated by men with only a sprinkling of women commentators who are now being read and heard.

The hype, of course, cannot hide the fact that the internet is a privileged domain in India. It is democratic only in that once you have a computer, you are free to roam the world. But it remains confined to a largely English-speaking (a few sites in other languages are now coming up), middle class and rich men and women, and more men than women.

The possibilities however are immense. During President Clinton's famous few hours in Nayla village, a computer with a modem was set-up in time for him to see a village woman call up a site with health information which she could use. Of course, the modem was disconnected and removed a day later and the temporary telephone line disappeared. But the women who had seen the computer, touched the "chooha" (mouse) and realised that all it needed was the click of a button before the machine performed, understood its power instantly. They too would like to access this new world; they too want information at their fingertips.

Perhaps such a day will dawn.

But before that they must have electricity, telephones - or at least running water.

KALPANA SHARMA

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