Urban Women and Digitization

Autor: Keith C. D'Souza, Ekta Sinha
Rok vydání: 2017
Předmět:
Zdroj: ICEGOV
DOI: 10.1145/3047273.3047295
Popis: This paper aims to understand the purposes for which digitization is used by women in the Indian context and argues that digitization, per se, is not enough to empower women. In Indian culture, women have always taken the back seat in family decision making. Their life revolves around the family and fulfilling its needs. Today, the condition of women has improved as compared to yester-years but, due to lack of awareness, they still use very limited resources to empower themselves. The sample for this study has been taken from the economic capital of India, Mumbai, where Information & Communication Technology (ICT) and digitization are easily accessible. Despite the easy accessibility of ICT and digitization, this paper suggests that women in this city appear to have a limited purpose in using the internet or ICT. ICT and digitization are largely used for online social interaction and entertainment. This study finds that women are dependent on their family before and after marriage, for financial decision making. Online education does not depend on age and employment status, but on educational qualification and marital status. Thus, the study suggests that social and economic inequality exists and that they hinder capacity-building among women. With the help of this study, one gains an understanding of the purposes for which women use available digital facilities. The findings suggest that governments need to design and implement more interactive awareness programmes and policies for women to empower them through the effective and efficient use of the digital platform.
Databáze: OpenAIRE
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