We are not merely using the internet, we are living in it. With recent developments in the field of artificial intelligence, metaverse and virtual reality, the next few decades will lead us into the highest form of digitalisation. But where do women stand in this new digital world?
Women and girls are lagging behind because of lack of access and digital literacy, cultural barriers and other issues. Digital gaps - the gap between people in terms of their digital media usage and knowledge - are the new age inequalities. They exist because of many factors such as income levels, gender, region, social structures etc. Oxfam’s recent report presents the true picture of the prevalent divide in terms of access to digital technology. “Inequalities in access to and use of technology are reproducing themselves, which in turn are exacerbating inequalities in the real world,” it states.
Our jobs, education, access to information, and financial tasks are all now getting dependent on digital mediums and digital inequalities impact people in these sectors.
What Data Says
According to The State of Mobile Internet Report 2022, women are 16 percent less likely to use mobile internet in low and middle income countries. India accounts for half of the world’s gendered digital divide and has the widest gendered digital gap in the Asia Pacific region, with a gap of 40.4 percent. A mere one-third of its internet users are women.
According to UNESCO, pandemic situations forced 1.8 billion students worldwide to drop out from schools. In India, around 320 million students were forced to stop studying, of which 158 million students were female. The prominent reason behind this increase in dropout rates was the lack of alternative modes of education or access to technology to enable online mode of education.
Causes and concerns
The present gendered digital divide in the country can be understood from three angles: access to digital equipment & technology, digital literacy and agency to use.
Higher prices of smartphones, computers, laptops and high rates of the internet makes it hard for girls and women to access digital technology. As per the Oxfam report, 61 per cent of men had a mobile phone by the end of 2021 compared to just 31 per cent females, a gap of 30 per cent.
Digital literacy is another front. An inability to understand and engage with technology makes it hard for illiterate women and girls to navigate digital spaces.
Lastly, women also lack the agency to use digital media since in many parts of the country girls and women don’t fully own their everyday life decisions. Family and society restrict their agency, even for something many of us consider basic, like a mobile phone.
For example, the use of mobile phones by girls is considered taboo in many social settings in India.Patriarchal social norms and structures reflect in this digital world too. It is a general view in many parts of rural India that girls will get badly influenced by the “modern” world, that they will risk the family’s reputation and will get opinionated if they use the internet. Phones are also considered as a hindrance to women’s caregiving responsibilities in some areas.
There are various reasons for these gaps - poverty, illiteracy, rural-urban divide, and unfamiliarity with technology, prevalent social taboos, patriarchal family structures, intra household discrimination, unsafe digital spaces, and many more.
Policy interventions
The government of India has initiated many programmes for improving internet usage in the country. Digital India is an umbrella programme that covers multiple government projects like Common Service Centres, Digilocker, MyGov, PMGDISHA.
The New Education Policy, 2020 is also centrally focusing on digital literacy and use of technology in its education plan. Through projects like DIKSHA (Digital Infrastructure for Knowledge Sharing), digital libraries, smart classrooms, digital literacy in school and adult education curriculum, and the setup of NEFT (National Education Technology Forum), the education plan has ensured the equitable use of technology. Interestingly, the policy document has recognized the prevalent digital divide gaps, and stressed the need for the affordability of digital devices for every learner.
While some things have been done, a lot more needs to happen.
Interventions from state and non-state stakeholders are still much needed. These could include on ground programmes for digital literacy (especially catering the needs of women), small loan facilities to buy phones and other devices, state government initiatives to make smartphone and laptops devices available for school students in rural regions. New technological developments should incorporate a gender sensitive view so that digital spaces can be safe for girls.
Access to technology, especially mobile phones, provide a plethora of opportunities to girls - to learn, to make a career, to voice one’s opinions and to empower oneself. There is an urgent need to not only improve their access to technology but also improve their digital literacy levels by giving them assistance. Our failure to do so would exclude a big chunk of people, especially our girls from accessing these new age developments.