Author: Meghna Sandhir | 28-Mar-2024
The "digital gender divide" persists as a significant barrier hindering women's full participation in the digital revolution. This gap encompasses disparities in internet access, digital literacy, and participation, posing a challenge to achieving gender equality in today's increasingly digitized world.
The Digital Gender Divide encompasses the unequal access and usage of digital technologies and the internet between men and women. This gap is influenced by factors like socio-economic status, cultural norms, education, and geographic location. In many developing regions, women face barriers such as limited access due to cost, infrastructure constraints, and socio-cultural norms favoring men. Additionally, women often lag in digital access due to limited educational opportunities, lower familiarity with technology, and societal expectations discouraging their engagement with digital platforms.
As mobile phones have grown commonplace in India's busy streets, changing people's lives and the way society interacts with one another. But beneath the surface of this digital revolution, there is a complicated interaction between social norms and technology that affects how women and girls use their phones. To which the on-ground realities highlighted that women's autonomy in owning and operating mobile phones is frequently put under patriarchal surveillance and control. And even if they have enough access, their technical knowledge remains restricted as most of these women are not well educated. One of the possibilities that one could observe while interacting with women on field was exposure to jobs. When a digital application was made a part of the job and became the mandate, it served a purpose to women and hence they made the effort to learn how to use, and when unable to they would often seek help from their children. Thus, the young ones serve as a good reserve to help women excel in digital knowledge. While the struggle still lies in the training given to enable them to use the applications either by professionals or help driven by husbands and children is not patiently delivered. For professionals it is more target oriented as for family it is more taken for granted often with the perspective of “What will my wife or a mother do by learning how to use a phone? She mostly sits at home or works the day in the kitchen.”
Apart from this, for the ones willingly using online mediums, their participation in online spaces is often hampered by concerns related to privacy, online harassment, and cyberbullying which deters them from freely expressing themselves and participating in online discussions. Even so for girls what serves as a platform that could offer a plethora of opportunities becomes a question of safety as they fear being bullied or harassed online. While many may know features such as keeping their accounts private or blocking a certain profile. The taboo that a phone manipulates a child's brain and they run away in their early days of budding relationships refrains girls from using mobiles with as much freedom as a boy enjoys. Because a girl or woman in Indian society is viewed as 'honour of the house’. However, these norms differ depending on how strict or lenient society is. Having compared four states one could distinguish how a stronghold of patriarchal norms in Uttar Pradesh allowed men and women to detest phones as a device for girls, it was remarked that they could buy one after marriage if the husband allows it.
Thus, one of the alarming questions within the series of the gender divide in the digital age is: "How can we ensure that the benefits of digitalization are equally accessible to and advantageous for women, considering the existing gender disparities?" This question addresses the pressing concern of how to bridge the digital gender divide and ensure that women have equal access to the opportunities and advantages those digital technologies offer. This opens the floor for several important sub-questions, such as:
The growing impact of digital advancements on gender equality is indeed a crucial and complex issue that requires thoughtful consideration. So, I leave you with some aspects to ponder.
Ms. Aashini Goyal, along with our team, has been working on the Drivers, Limiters, and Barriers to Women's Trust in Digital Platforms Project for the past two months. This blog recounts her firsthand experiences from visiting our project site in India.
Ms. Meghna Sandhir, our programme officer, along with colleagues from Martha Farrell Foundation and Pro Sport Development, participated in the Trainers of Training (ToT) program conducted at Sahbhagi Shikshan Kendra - SSK Lucknow. The training took place from December 4th to December 10th, 2023.
Our Program Officer, Ms. Shruti Priya, attended the Youth Solidarity and Leadership Training held in Bangkok, Thailand organised by the Asia Democratic Network in partnership with Forum Asia. The training was followed by a two-day Asia Democracy Assembly "Fostering Democracy Movements: Building Strategic Partnerships and Sustainable Cooperation in Asia".
