Digital Empowerment
69% of Indian Women would prefer to pursue a career in S.T.E.M. according to a survey conducted by MasterCard.
However, 39% of adolescents consider STEM to be a difficult field and gender biased and per AISHE Survey Indian women constitute less than 30% of the advanced Engineering Programs.
The Indian government has focused its efforts on improving access to the internet. Investement in the digital infrastructure of India has the potential to aid in the advancement of women and girls in all spheres of life. This enables them to access educational resources and gain exposure to the different opportunities outside their communities. However, it is estimated that the chances of women benefitting from opportunities provided by an information society will be one third less than for men. This is partly due to the high female illiteracy rate.
Only 29% of internet users in India are women and only 28% of women own mobiles. Even fewer women fully understand how to operate mobiles fully. If they are illiterate then they cannot dial phone numbers and read messages or even browse on the internet. They cannot avail from the benefits provided by the internet.
Technology is essential to the development of any society. In current times, technology plays an especially important role in terms of educational, and economic opportunity. We have observed in the United states how online activity influences offline activity.
The teachers' strikes, "Black Lives Matter", Women's March and the recent "March for our Lives" were launched through social media. The internet has become a powerful tool for advocacy. In daily life people also use the internet to remain updated on the news, search for job opportunities, and even for educational purposes. The U.S.A has online colleges, textbooks and tutoring programs.
Technology itself is not empowering, learning how to properly utilize technology will empower women and girls in India. But, first they need to learn how to read and write so they can actually use the internet. The stigma attached to women and girls working in STEM industry must also be contended with and the usage of mobile devices by women should no longer be restricted due to societal pressure for this to happen. Technological policy making and social advocacy must be integrated for India to fully avail the benefits provided by the development of digital infrastructure.
Links:
https://thetechpanda.com/2017/12/23/women-marginalised-digitalisation/
https://thewire.in/economy/digital-india-women-technology
https://twitter.com/mastercardindia/status/831761527648690176
https://www.iaspaper.net/women-empowerment-in-india/
https://thetechpanda.com/2017/12/23/women-marginalised-digitalization/
