Digital Gender Divide In India: An Investigation of Policies Bridging The Gap In This New Age of Inequality

Abstract

The transformation of societies and the economic growth and development speaks about the contribution of digitisation process in major parts of the economies. What worries one are the deprived sections of societies who continue to lag in reaping the benefits of this revolutionary process. Empirical studies clearly show that inclusive digitisation of society’s leads to personal and community benefits, ultimately benefitting the nations. When we analyse the status of women in technology participation, especially in the developing countries, we find a low rate of participation which costs the society on a whole as we can understand that women when digitally literate and provided with adequate accessibility can contribute to a nation on a whole making meaningful usage of technology. This article talks about digital divide between men and women in the developing countries with special reference to India. The challenges faced by women in developing economies in terms of internet accessibility, the potential opportunities women can exercise, given accessibility and the policy initiatives taken by governments to bridge the digital gender gap.