Digital Literacy and Gendered Usage: A Descriptive Study of Empowerment and Barriers among Women in Noida, India

Abstract

This study explores the gendered dimensions of digital literacy and usage in Noida, India, a rapidly urbanizing region with advanced digital infrastructure. Despite widespread smartphone access, women remain underrepresented in instrumental digital activities such as online learning, job search, and civic engagement. A descriptive survey of 300 adults (210 women, 90 men) reveals that although 70% of women own smartphones, significantly fewer use them for education (46%) or e-governance (32%), compared to men (62% and 55%, respectively). Women also reported lower confidence in digital skills and higher barriers related to social norms, safety, time, and affordability. These findings highlight a critical access–usage gap and suggest that infrastructure alone cannot drive digital empowerment. Applying the Capability Approach and Feminist Technology Theory, the study underscores the need for usage-focused, gender-sensitive digital inclusion strategies. It concludes with policy recommendations emphasizing skill development, safe learning environments, and sociocultural engagement to ensure that digital tools translate into real empowerment for women.

Introduction

India’s digital transformation, driven by initiatives like Digital India and PMGDISHA, has expanded internet and smartphone access. However, a digital gender divide persists—while women now have better device access, their usage patterns and empowerment outcomes lag significantly behind men's, especially in functional domains like jobs, education, finance, and governance.

2. Key Problem

• Access ≠ Empowerment: Owning a device doesn't mean meaningful use. Many women use phones primarily for social communication and entertainment, while men engage with digital tools for career, learning, and civic purposes.

• Usage Gap: According to NFHS-5, only 33% of women have used the internet compared to 57% of men.

• In urban-periurban areas like Noida, access is high, but entrenched gender norms, safety concerns, digital skill gaps, and socio-cultural restrictions limit women’s usage.

3. Barriers to Women's Digital Use

• Social norms: Restrict women’s digital autonomy and mobility.

• Economic factors: Devices and data remain unaffordable for many women.

• Low confidence and skill levels: Women lack training in practical digital tools.

• Safety and harassment: Fear of online abuse discourages participation.

4. Theoretical Framework

• Amartya Sen’s Capability Approach: Focuses on converting access into real freedoms and capabilities.

• Feminist Technology Theory: Digital tools are embedded with gender biases; usage is shaped by power dynamics and social context.

• OECD’s Digital Divide Model: Highlights four levels—Access, Skills, Usage, Outcomes—with second-level divides (skills and use) as critical bottlenecks.

5. Research Focus

This study explores gendered digital behaviors in Noida, an area with strong digital infrastructure but persistent social constraints:

• Goals:

  • Map gender differences in digital usage, confidence, and domains (education, job search, governance, health, etc.)

  • Identify perceived conversion barriers that prevent women from translating access into empowerment

  • Examine self-reported impacts on confidence, autonomy, and opportunity

6. Methodology

• Design: Descriptive cross-sectional survey.

• Sample: 300 adults (210 women, 90 men), aged 18–45, from urban and peri-urban Noida.

• Tool: 40-item questionnaire on access, frequency, confidence, usage patterns, barriers, and empowerment.

• Data Collection: Mix of face-to-face interviews and online surveys (May–June 2025).

7. Key Findings & Implications

• Women in Noida report lower digital confidence and limited use in empowerment-oriented domains despite high smartphone access.

• Conversion barriers—social expectations, financial limits, safety concerns—interfere with meaningful use.

• Policy must move beyond providing access to enabling usage through skill-building, safety, affordability, and cultural change.

Conclusion

This study set out to examine how digital literacy and usage patterns differ between men and women in Noida, India—a technologically advanced yet socially complex urban-periurban area. Drawing from the responses of 300 participants, the findings underscore a critical insight: digital access does not guarantee digital empowerment, particularly for women. Despite 70% of women reporting smartphone ownership and 68% accessing the internet daily, their engagement with transformative digital tools—like job portals, e-governance services, and online education—remained limited compared to men. Across every dimension studied—confidence, skill, usage domain, and perceived empowerment—women reported significantly lower engagement. This disparity was not explained by access alone but was driven by sociocultural norms, family responsibilities, safety concerns, and affordability, all of which serve as \"conversion barriers\" in Amartya Sen’s Capability Approach. Additionally, Feminist Technology Theory helps contextualize how even “neutral” digital spaces can mirror and reinforce offline inequalities. The conclusion is clear: closing the digital gender divide in India requires a paradigm shift—from building access to enabling usage. To transform digital infrastructure into digital empowerment, strategies must address the contexts in which women live and learn. These must include tailored skill-building, safe and inclusive learning spaces, family and community involvement, and culturally sensitive awareness campaigns. As India’s digital transformation deepens, a usage-centered approach—especially one grounded in gender-sensitive frameworks—will not only empower women but also strengthen communities, economic productivity, and democratic participation. This study offers a local lens with global relevance: ensuring that every person, regardless of gender, can engage meaningfully in the digital world.

References

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Copyright

Copyright © 2025 Anamika Pal, Dr. Prithvi Sengar. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.