Inequalities based on caste, gender, geographical location, and class abound in India. They are now also becoming increasingly visible in the digital space, according to the “India Inequality Report 2022: Digital Divide” released by Oxfam India.
Key highlights
- While 61 per cent of men owned mobile phones in 2021, their access remained limited to just 31 per cent women.
- The reach of digital technologies remains largely limited to male, urban, upper-caste, and upper class individuals.
- While 8 per cent of the general caste have access to a computer or a laptop, less than 1 per cent of the Scheduled Tribes and 2 per cent of the Scheduled Castes afford it.
- A digital divide based on employment status, where 95 per cent of the salaried permanent workers have a phone whereas only 50 per cent of the unemployed (willing and looking for a job) have a phone in 2021.
- Indian women are 15 per cent less likely to own a mobile phone and 33 per cent less likely to use mobile internet services than men.
- Among states, Maharashtra has the highest internet penetration, followed by Goa and Kerala, while Bihar has the lowest, followed by Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand.
