In my previous post I mentioned that Internet connection in the monsoon time might be a challenge in India. But how women in the poorest regions are staying connected?
The majority of households has mobile devices and is using mobile connectivity. I mention households as, according to Praseeda Kunam, not every member of the family has a mobile device. Usually, there is only one device for a household available that is being used by all family members. And due to mobile charges, a mobile device is disconnected from the Internet most of the time.
Moreover, providing info through smartphone or using it for banking operations is a challenge in itself as most of the population served by the Samhita's Development Network is illiterate.
About the Internet in India
The estimates of the Internet penetration in India vary. In 2017 World Bank estimated that around 35% of Indian population had access to internet. Over the years this number has grown significantly reaching around 40-50% in 2020 (estimates vary) and is forecasted to increase to 60% by 2020. And coverage levels in rural India are catching up with the one in urban areas.
However, according to GSMA's The Mobile Gender Gap Report 2019, a gap between male and female mobile users persists. Approximately 80% of Indian men and 59% of women in India have a mobile device, and only 36% of men and 16% of women used mobile internet in according to the survey in 2018.
Mobile owners (%) Mobile internet users (%)
Source: https://www.gsma.com/mobilefordevelopment/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/GSMA-The-Mobile-Gender-Gap-Report-2019.pdf
Before mentioned, literacy and digital skills-related barriers are the most important obstacles to mobile internet usage by women (36% of female respondents in India), followed by affordability (20% of female respondents in India).