According to ‘India Inequality Report 2022: Digital Divide’ released by Oxfam India, women constitute only one-third of internet users in India and the country has the widest gender gap of 40.4 per cent within the Asia-Pacific region when it comes to internet access. Indian women are 33 per cent less likely to use mobile internet services than men.
As per the report, 61 per cent of men had a mobile phone, while only 31 per cent owned one by the end of 2021. It noted that women use a smaller range of digital services (often primarily voice and SMS), limited by less expensive and sophisticated handsets.
Besides, the report also highlights disparity in access to digital devices and services across classifications such as caste, wealth and education. The report analysed data from the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy’s household survey from January 2018 to December 2021, and used secondary analysis from the National Sample Survey.
As per Oxfam India, India’s growing inequality is accentuated due to the digital divide. He added that people without devices and the internet get further marginalised due to difficulties in accessing education, health, and public services.
The report showed that among the poorest 20 per cent of Indian households, only 2.7 per cent have access to a computer, while 8.9 per cent have access to the internet. In contrast, 27.6 per cent of the top 20 per cent of households have a computer and 50.5 per cent have internet. Among students too, 41 per cent who belong to the richest 10 per cent section have a computer with internet access. The share declines to 16 per cent among the next 10 per cent richest students, and to 10 per cent in the third-richest decile. Among the poorest 10 per cent of students, only 2 per cent have a computer that has internet services.
Further, the study revealed that none of its respondents who have had no education has a computer, whereas 39 per cent of those with a post-graduate or a PhD degree have one. In the case of mobile phones, only 11 per cent of the uneducated respondents owned a handset, as compared to 76 per cent of those with a post-graduate or a PhD degree.
The report welcomed several initiatives by the central and state governments to promote digital literacy, availability, accessibility, and affordability of digital technologies.
