Impact of Information and Communication Technologies on Changes in Lifestyle of Rural Women: A Case Study of Qarnabad Village, Gorgan County of Iran

This study aimed at investigating the impact of information and communication technology (ICT) on changes in lifestyle of rural women in Qarnabad village in Golestan province (as the first internet village of Iran).The study was conducted in a descriptive-analytic method and the required information was gathered through a researcher-designed questionnaire, containing 38 questions with five choices in Likert scale, as well as library and internet searches.The study findings showed that the use of ICT affected rural women's lifestyle in various components including body management pattern, home economics, nutrition, health, cultural consumption, purchasing, employment, and marriage, resulting in considerable changes; however, it did not show any significant impacts on the patterns of religious practice, personal communications, and residence (migration to cities). There was also found a significant relationship between the use of ICT and the changes in the lifestyle in terms of age, education and marital status. The rural ICT had its most impacts on health patterns and its least impacts on residence pattern (migration to cities). Equipping the Iranian villages with technologies necessary for the rural women's training, awareness, promotion of scientific base, and participation in information society was among the primary recommendations presented.