Yesterday, I happened to talk to one of my friends. She was partying late night and I was worried for her safety. It was nothing new since she was in Delhi. The new thing was when she told me that I need not worry since she has a protective smart phone with her. I got curious. I asked her what she meant. She told me about different mobile apps that could help her remain safe even during late hours in Delhi. One of the Apps could send an emergency message to her nearest acquaintances, another could signify the police control room when in danger and there was one more which could generate a signal of emergency with loud noise. All these apps made me think – is technology playing its role in women empowerment and is it a woman’s best friend?
In India, women face enormous challenges in their growth. There are underlying problems like health issues, lack of education, economic empowerment and financial independency, which two third of women are currently facing. Also, one third of women are not able to read and write which limit their economic opportunities and contribute to their restricted growth. However, technology is strongly working in order to provide women the power they needed from a long time. Technology has not only cleared many safety issues for women but also empowered them in different fields including education (Edureka), career guidance (CareerGuide), jobs (Sheroes), financial stability (Capital Float) and health concerns (Menstrupedia).
India is a country where mobile access is five times that of sanitation access and acts as a medium that can truly connect all the people irrespective of their location, gender, age and other bars such as caste. Even the most remote areas are becoming accessible to mobile networks. Although the connectivity is increasing, yet only 38% women own mobile phones in India. But the increasing rate of women owning a mobile phone also directs to increasing progress of women in the country. Women are using phones in diverse ways that range from staying safe in times of danger, keeping themselves informed about the news, educating themselves on critical matters, managing finances and receiving information from issues such as weather and farming.
The advent of mobile phones has not only connected the whole world but also supported women empowerment and led to independence of women. Recently I have been observing more women working in the corporate sector and even more women exploring their avenues through higher education. Women who used to lie at the bottom of the pyramid and needed an external care in health, education and financial matters have been advancing and taking care of all these issues themselves with the help of technology. The advances in mobile and technology are supporting the fact that women are being empowered.
Currently, India is at 122nd position out of 138 nations in the United Nations Development Programme’s index of gender equality. There is no surprise in the fact since, even after 70 years of independence, only 66% of women are literate as compared to 83% of men. 1/3rd of married women are underweight and there is less awareness of medical conditions related to women. Mobile phones are becoming one of the technology solutions to all these woes. Smart phones are now very cheap and can be easily bought. These do not require women to be literate and are easy to use with touch features. Moreover, over 300 million women own mobile phones and out of them 60 million have access to internet.
A recent study by Vodafone foundation has mentioned that 40% of women subscribers have found employment opportunities through mobile phones. The true essence of technology is that 90% of women feel safer when they are with their phones. Technology has brought us the time when millions of women are being empowered and is supporting gender equality by providing opportunities to women. The time is near when women will be actually enjoying gender equality in terms of higher literacy rate, low mortality, and equal education and employment opportunities.
