Considering the number of Indian women online and the number of Indian women who are CEOs of tech companies, it’s startling to wake up to the fact that 49 per cent of Indian women see no reason to use Internet. Only one-third of the total Indian population with access to the Internet are women, says a survey conducted by Google.
Considering how my life falls apart without Internet for even one day, this is stunning news indeed. Yet oddly enough, it reminds me of my mother.
Despite numerous appeals from my dad and me, my mother never really felt the need to use a computer or access the Internet. The first time she logged into a PC was to create a matrimonial profile for me, because she realised that matrimonial search had moved completely online. But she never really took to it until she discovered online shopping and the possibility of better discounts online! I should have tried this route earlier, considering that she is a complete shopaholic.
Until recently, my mum was probably one of the 49 per cent of women purported to see no need for the Internet. This study titled ‘Women & Technology’ that involved 828 Indian women aged 8 to 55 identified that connection issues, affordability and time as the key constraints to accessing the Internet.
Many of the respondents said managing their households left little time for what is perceived to be a leisure activity. Some women also said they feared angering their in-laws if they spent too much time online.
The respondents said, they would use the Internet more, if they had more privacy. The survey also looked at income and demographic differences between Internet users and non-users. Women who are online tend to have slightly higher incomes.
“While there is low awareness about the benefits of Internet amongst women in India, there are many who want to get online to succeed in life,” Sandeep Menon, country head marketing for Google India told IANS.
Last year, Google became part of an initiative to bring more women online in India, for which they had tied up with several telecom services. The initiative was primarily focused on women in smaller towns and villages. And although this survey taken by them is of a very small sample size (only 828), clearly more work is needed on this initiative.
The Internet giant plans to tackle this via the younger generation, by launching a new film to inspire young digital natives to bring their mothers online.
In the meantime, I am still pleasantly surprised today when my mum quickly rattles off the wi-fi password to their house while my brother stands scratching his head when asked for it.
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