The Gender Digital Divide: India’s New Face of Gender Inequality

India has more phones than toilets, but unfortunately, access to both for women is limited. A report by UN Women’s Gender Snapshot 2022 warns that excluding women from the digital world has caused a loss of $1 trillion from the GDP of low and middle-income countries in the last decade. It further warns that the shortfall will grow to $1.5 trillion by 2025 without proactive intervention.

The digital gender divide refers to the unequal access, use, and knowledge of information and communication technologies between men and women, which affects women’s empowerment and gender equality. According to the Nielsen Company India Internet Report 2022, India has over 700 million internet users, but only one-third of them are women.

Smartphones are critical to accessing the internet and reducing the gender gap. However, women’s smartphone ownership in India is less than men’s, as per The Mobile Gender Gap Report 2022 by GSMA. The report states that women tend to use cheaper, less sophisticated handsets, and their internet consumption is also far less than men.

Women’s access to digital skills is limited, which perpetuates the gender gap in the technology and engineering sectors. They are also often excluded from the global gig economy. Additionally, safety concerns restrict women from expressing themselves freely and fearlessly in the digital realm.

Addressing the gender digital divide requires robust systems to prevent cyberbullying and harassment, proper training, encouragement to report, and timely justice. Femtech platforms can grow, empowering women for better management of life and health, as well as business. More women will be part of the workforce by leveraging the power of digital payments, online offices, training, upskilling, and mentoring.

Staff Reporter