The gender gap in digital access in India is acute and should be a cause of worry
That India is a deeply patriarchal society is stating the obvious. Across most creeds, cultures and religions in India, women are not given the same rights and access as men whether it be education, healthcare or social services. The rash of violent attacks on women up and down the country also proves that women’s safety is far from guaranteed as well. To be born a woman in India is, tragically, still a loss in the lottery of life for millions.
While some things are changing for the better, the inequality of internet access for women is also made apparent in a recent report by UNICEF. The report claims that only 29 per cent of internet users in India are women. Even though internet usage in India has exploded from under a 100 million to over 300 million, women have not taken part in the internet revolution equally. The argument made by some is that as internet penetration in India has been fast, the process will exclude some initially. While that may be the case, efforts must be made to ensure as many women as possible have access to the internet as the gains for them will be greater. Women were also latecomers to the mobile revolution and the threat that women having access to a device such as a mobile posed to Indian patriarchy led to bizarre diktats by some Khap panchayats banning access to phones. It will not be surprising if the same people try to limit internet access for women.
Some corporate entities, notably Google and their ‘Internet Saathi’ program have promoted the use of the internet by women by training rural women to go around villages to teach other women about what all they can do on the net. However, while such projects are impressive and make for good corporate social responsibility initiatives, in a country as large as India with close to billion people not connected, they are just a drop in the ocean. There needs to be a concerted governmental effort along with digital companies to get more women online. Programs like Digital India promoted by Narendra Modi who correctly believes that India’s future is digital will only be a marketing slogan if women are not taken along for the ride as equal partners. This can happen through subsidised digital access, better data connectivity in rural schools or even ramping up of programs like ‘Internet Saathi’. Inclusive growth is somewhat of an oxymoron in a society as riddled with contradictions and inequities such as India, and economic and social growth will never be uniform. But it is contingent on the government and those in the upper echelons of society to try and ensure that the benefits of growth and technology are not denied to anyone, let alone a third of the Indian population.