Check out 16 Return-To-Work Programs In India For Ambitious Women Like You!
We all know about the gender pay gap, but in today’s digital world, there’s another gap that is equally important: the digital gender gap.
This doesn’t just describe the lack of women in STEM or working in Silicon Valley. The term also refers to the difference in access that women and men have to the Internet. In India, only 29% of Internet users are female and the gender gap for mobile Internet users is 56%. Gender-based digital exclusion has many causes, from lack of education and technological literacy, to affordability and socio-cultural norms.
In certain rural areas, there is even legislation that actively works against digital inclusivity and equality. One village in Uttar Pradesh, for example, introduced a fine of up to Rs. 21,000 against girls using their mobile phones outside the home. The lawmakers, who claimed this would reduce crime against women, effectively limited the access women had to digital technology instead. This is just one of the more absurdly unnecessary barriers to internet access, but there are of course plenty more, not to mention the violent misogyny on the web that deters women from continuing to use the internet.
The digital gender gap has both moral and economic repercussions. Advances in technology mean very little when half the world’s population isn’t actively included. Only those countries which are able to take advantage of the digital skills of as many of its population as possible will continue to grow and thrive. According to the Harvard Business Review, the greater the digital gender gap, the less likely women are to be financially independent. This is because access to the internet is not only connected to access to information, but also to entrepreneurial opportunities. Further, the economic benefits that come from the digital revolution are even greater when women are involved because women have a disproportionately large effect on their families and communities.
Despite the barriers, women are using the internet more than ever before. In 2017, the rate of female internet usage in India grew by 14.11% in rural areas and 9.66% in urban areas. Many of these users are entrepreneurs looking to make inroads into e-commerce and blogging fields.
A Women’s Web 2019 study on women’s entrepreneurship in India found that the largest segment (16%) of women entrepreneurs was the ‘Creative Services’ category (writing/design, etc.). The second and third largest sectors were ‘Health & Allied‘ and ‘Apparel & Accessories‘ respectively. It is not surprising that these fields can easily be combined with the use of e-commerce and blogging platforms.
The reason behind this distribution is likely that the entry barriers are relatively low, and the work can more easily be combined with home and family life. Becoming a digital entrepreneur is as easy as setting up a store on Instagram or registering a .com or .in domain, which remain the most trusted domains among small and medium-sized businesses in India.
Another factor which is affecting women’s use of the internet relates to the type of community they encounter once they are online. Organizations like SHEROES build online communities for women that encourage them to take the steps toward entrepreneurship by providing them with a supportive environment to do so.
Seeing more women online and running digital businesses is an encouraging trend you see across the globe: In China, for example, 55% of new internet businesses are founded by women, according to the McKinsey Institute. While most of these businesses are small enterprises with few employees, the effect that they have on improving the lives of women, increasing their financial independence, and laying the groundwork for more equal and more inclusive societies is hard to ignore.
Image via Canva
Ruchi Verma Rajan is a woman on a mission of self-discovery. An avid reader since childhood, she grew up in the idyllic world of Enid Blyton and went on to devour the age old read more...
Women's Web is an open platform that publishes a diversity of views, individual posts do not necessarily represent the platform's views and opinions at all times.
Stay updated with our Weekly Newsletter or Daily Summary - or both!
People say that women are the greatest enemies of women. I vehemently disagree. It is the patriarchal mindset that makes women believe in the wrong ideology.
The entire world celebrates International Women’s Day on March 8, 2024. It should be a joyful day, but unfortunately, not all women are entitled to this privilege, as violence against women is at its peak. The experience of oppression pushes many women to choose freedom. As far as patriotism is concerned, feminism is not a cup of tea in this society.
What happens when a woman decides to stand up for herself? Does this world easily accept the decisions of women in this society? What inspires them to be free of the clutches of the oppression that women have faced for ages? Most of the time, women do not get the chance to decide for themselves. Their lives are always at the mercy of someone, which can be their parents, siblings, husband, or children.
In some cases, women do not feel the need to make any decisions. They are taught to obey the patriarchal system, which makes them believe that they are right. In my family, I was never taught to make decisions on my own. It was always my parents who bought dresses and all that I needed.
14 years after her last feature film Dhobi Ghat, storyteller extraordinaire comes up with her new film, Laapataa Ladies, a must watch.
*Some spoilers alert*
Every religion around the world dictates terms to women. The onus is always on women to be ‘modest’ and cover their faces and bodies so men can’t be “tempted”, rather than on men to keep their eyes where they belong and behave like civilized beings. So much so that even rape has been excused on the grounds of women eating chowmein or ‘men will be men’. I think the best Hindi movie retort to this unwanted advice on ‘akeli ladki khuli tijori ki tarah hoti hai’ (an alone woman is like an open jewellery box) came from Geet in Jab We Met – Kya aap gyan dene ke paise lete hain kyonki chillar nahin hain mere paas.
The premise of Laapataa Ladies is beautifully simple – two brides clad in the ghunghat that covers their identity get mixed up on a train. Within this Russian Doll, you get a comedy of errors, a story of getting lost, a commentary on patriarchy’s attitude towards women, a mystery, and a tale of finding oneself, all in one. Done with a mostly light touch that has you laughing and nodding along.
Please enter your email address