Left Behind In The Digital Age

(MENAFN- Kashmir Observer) Digital Marginalisation of women

One of the greatest aftereffects of COVID-19 has been the rapid digital transformation. The surge in digitalization saved many firms during the pandemic, enabling them to adapt to lockdowns through remote work and online operations. Many continued with these online practices even after the pandemic. Online operations such as digital hiring, payments, remote work, and upskilling opportunities on web platforms have significantly benefited advanced economies. However, a critical question remains: How has the digital shift impacted women in developing countries, who have historically had limited access to digital resources?

How digitalisation brings the empowerment of women?

Digital transformation is playing a significant role in promoting gender equality by providing women with unprecedented access to knowledge, markets, and advocacy platforms, which have been traditionally restricted due to societal and cultural norms. In India, digitalization has empowered women by granting them access to resources and networks that were previously out of reach. This shift has empowered women to share their stories, voice their opinions on crucial issues, and actively participate in advocacy efforts.

One of the major benefits of digitalization is the access it provides to institutions and services that were previously out of reach for women. Women can now easily connect with banks, start their own businesses, and enter the labor market with greater flexibility. This has been crucial in promoting an inclusive labor force in India. As a result, the Female Labour Force Participation Rate (FLFPR) in India has seen a remarkable increase, rising from just 4.2% to 37.0% by 2023.

The digitization wave in India is particularly revolutionizing workforce dynamics for women entrepreneurs. Women-owned enterprises now make up 20% of all Indian businesses, a notable increase from 14% a decade ago. Digital platforms, especially mobile phones, are essential tools that lower entry barriers, provide market access, and facilitate training for women. These platforms allow women to navigate financial services and pursue entrepreneurial endeavors more efficiently.

Government initiatives like the Pradhan Mantri Gramin Digital Saksharta Abhiyan (PMGDISHA) under the Digital India programme are also playing a vital role. These initiatives promote digital literacy, especially among rural women and girls, helping to bridge the digital divide and ensure that more women can benefit from the opportunities provided by digitalization.

There's a paradox at the heart of digital learning: those who would benefit the most from it are often the least likely to have access. Women, in particular, are disproportionately affected by the digital divide, which impacts them the hardest. According to the Observer Research Foundation Indian women are 15% less likely to own a mobile phone and 33% less likely to use mobile internet than men. Jammu and Kashmir is amongst the top places having such poor and depressing status of women in relation to access to digital devices. Kavita Suri from Jammu University, in her research paper“Bridging the Gap,” mentions that only 38.9% of rural women and 55% of urban women in Jammu and Kashmir have ever used the internet..

Cultural and Socio-Economic Barriers

Women especially in
rural areas have limited access to digital resources for several reasons. In many rural communities, there's a prevailing belief that digital technology may expose girls to undesirable influences or compromise cultural values. Consequently, families often restrict girls' access to resources like phones, limiting their opportunities for education and employment.

Traditional patriarchal beliefs further dictate that girls should not have independent access to technology, viewing it as a threat to familial honor or control. This leads to intra-household discrimination, preventing women from accessing digital devices. Their online activities are often controlled by male relatives.

Socio-economic disparities also play a significant role. With limited financial resources, essentials are prioritized, and mobile phones are seen as luxuries. In financially constrained households, girls are frequently overlooked when resources are allocated. According to the Oxfam Inequality Report, the percentage of men with phones is more than women, with as many as 61 per cent of them having a mobile by the end of 2021 as compared to 31 per cent females, a gap of 30 per cent.

Women are often deterred from using digital resources due to hostile online environments filled with hate speech and harassment. Lower digital literacy and skills make them more vulnerable to cyberbullying and cyberstalking, which restricts their use of technology and widens the digital divide.

Women also face challenges with acquiring technological skills and understanding how to use digital resources effectively ASER Report from 2021 shows that although 72% of students in Jammu and Kashmir have smartphones at home, only 40% can use them for academic purposes, highlighting a digital disparity in educational technology access.

Impact on Professional Development

In today's world, digital skills and engagement with technology are essential for securing higher-end jobs and for continuous upskilling. However, women often hesitate to use it for professional development due to safety concerns and fears of unnecessary exposure. This reluctance prevents them from acquiring the digital skills needed for high-skilled, high-income jobs.

Consider online platform based work.
While there is a rise in online platform-based work, a lot of women do not opt for these opportunities due to unequal access to digital technologies, safety concerns, and limited access to mobility assets like cars and scooters. Working in unfamiliar locations and with unknown organizations is concerning for many women, and in many cases, their families do not permit it.
A study by Nikita sangwan and Farzana Afridi found that women are less likely to apply for jobs online. Even when they do, they often accept lower offers due to mobility restrictions and societal norms.

Take the case of Arbeena, a soon-to-be graduate from a top professional college in Kashmir. She has been searching for a part-time job but hasn't found any offline opportunities. Despite the availability of many online opportunities, Arbeen is hesitant to pursue them due to her unfamiliarity with online platforms and discomfort with sharing her personal details. She is also concerned about assessing the credibility of these platforms, which adds to her reluctance.

Similarly, digital illiteracy and unfamiliarity with online marketplaces have hindered women entrepreneurs and job seekers from tapping into opportunities in the gig economy and online workplaces, especially in the post-COVID-19 era. Many women entrepreneurs still do not use online methods for payments, marketing, and sales. The disparity in digital payments highlights this divide: 69% of men in India use digital payments and internet banking, compared to just 31% of women. While more than half of Indian women own cell phones, only 22.5% engage in financial activities through them.

In recent years, the rise in female labor force participation has been notable, largely fueled by the growth of the IT sector and the expanding digital economy. As of 2023, the female labor force participation rate reached 36%. However, Rosa Abraham from Azim Premji University highlights that much of this increase is driven by unpaid family work rather than paid employment. She calls this“distress-led employment,” where financial pressures push more women into self-employment, with earnings remaining stagnant.

Despite improvements in primary and secondary education, women have missed out on opportunities in fast-growing sectors due to a growing demand for technically and digitally skilled labor, where men often have higher levels of tertiary education and vocational training. Studies show that women are still largely concentrated in routine back-office services that require basic skills, while men dominate specialized jobs and managerial positions requiring advanced digital skills. Steven Kapsos's research found that less than 19% of new job opportunities in India's ten fastest-growing occupations were filled by women.

Moreover, many women in the digital labor force are engaged in part-time gig work rather than permanent positions that offer legal benefits. Gig workers often lack traditional employment benefits and social protections enjoyed by formal sector workers. This lack of a safety net is especially challenging for women, who may face additional vulnerabilities. Without access to maternity benefits, health insurance, compensation, allowances, or retirement benefits, women are exposed to greater risks and find it difficult to advance in their careers.

This structural organization of women's work is particularly concerning. In the developed world, female workers in low-skill clerical, service, and sales jobs are at risk of being replaced by automation. The International Monetary Fund's 2018“Gender, Technology, and the Future of Work” report warns about this issue. Dr. Sona Mitra from IWWAGE emphasizes that as automation rises, it will create a new class of jobs requiring different skill sets. To help women access these new jobs, there must be targeted digital skill development programs.

Lack of digital skills has prevented many women from accessing many opportunities. To bridge this digital divide, there is an urgent need for initiatives that provide women with the necessary training and support. Without these steps, women risk being further marginalized in an increasingly digital world, facing lower standards of living.

Ensuring digital inclusion for women and girls is essential for equitable progress. Schools, as the first point of contact with technology for children, play a crucial role in this effort. It's important to ensure that girls have equal access to technical skills and digital literacy education, both in schools and through specialized training programs. They should be made aware of digital resources early on in their education. Unfortunately, nearly 70% of schools in Jammu and Kashmir lack digital devices, according to the Government of India, underscoring the need for urgent intervention. To make digital tools more accessible, especially for rural women and the urban poor, reducing the cost of devices and services through subsidies or free data is crucial. Enhancing network coverage and quality, as well as ensuring the safety and accessibility of public facilities, can significantly promote digital inclusion.

Digital technologies offer numerous opportunities for remote part-time work. Connecting women to online job platforms and freelance marketplaces can open new employment avenues. To support this, short-term courses and skill-building programs should be conducted in colleges and community centers, focusing on cybersecurity, online content reliability, and job-oriented skills to keep girls competitive in the job market.

One of the reasons girls face a digital divide is strict family values. Counseling sessions and workshops can encourage parents to change their attitudes and ensure
there is no discrimination between men and women in the use of digital resources. These workshops should also focus on cybersecurity and can be conducted by community centers, schools, and colleges.

There is a pressing need to familiarize women with existing programs run by the State, Central government, and nonprofit organizations. The Central government has launched several initiatives like Pradhan Mantri Gramin Digital Saksharta Abhiyaan (PMGDISHA) which aims to make six crore individuals in rural areas digitally literate, empowering them to use digital devices, access the internet and government services, send and receive emails, and make digital payments.

Similarly, the Jammu and Kashmir government has launched programs like Manzilein (jkcareerportal ) and Aao Baat Karein (Tele Counseling Helpline). Manzilein, managed by SAMAGRA Shiksha, offers students a personalized career dashboard with information on over 550 careers, 21,000 colleges, and numerous programs, entrance exams, and scholarship opportunities. Unfortunately, many women remain excluded from these benefits due to limited digital literacy. Connecting them to these initiatives is essential for promoting digital inclusion and empowerment.

Views expressed in the article are the author's own and do not necessarily represent the editorial stance of Kashmir Observer

• The author is a Sophomore at Smith College

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