Digital Gender Divide, Pandemic and Education
ABSTRACT
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the students in the Indian cities have faced significant challenges accessing education through digital means. Previous research has suggested that there exists gender bias in terms of access to education and the usage of digital devices. However, the transition to digital education varied across students in India during the pandemic. The research paper through in-depth interviews discovers new themes between gender and the digital divide in terms of education in urban India. The research further finds that gender has a limited impact on accessibility to digital devices for educational purposes.
Introduction
The COVID-19 pandemic led to sudden shock in the education sector across the world. Lockdowns across the globe were essential to curb the spread of the virus. But the long-term nature of such lockdowns and attached uncertainties of return to normalcy forced schools to go digital. In the case of India, such transformations were complicated as the population already had pre-existing divides (such as gender, socio-economic, urban-rural), which stood as barriers to a smoother transition to digital education. India being the second populous in the world, with the second largest school system, the only viable option to curb the virus was to impose a nation-wide lockdown. But when India had called for lockdowns in March 2020, it led to temporary closures of schools, colleges, etc. Due to this, students belonging to different parts of the country had difficulty in continuing their education. The uncertainty with the duration of these lockdowns led to many schools opting for digital education.
Students have had to learn digital skills to access their basic education as they transition to digital classes. The online shift and acquiring a new set of digital skills have been tough for teachers and parents as well. (Sharma A. , 2021) Learning new skills under a stressful pandemic has been a challenge for teachers who weren't familiar with the software and infrastructure before. Parents, too, have had to stand up to the crisis by maintaining a balance between their children's education and their Work from Home/ regular office hours. (Sharma A. , 2021)
Some of the most used platforms for imparting online education in India have been Google Classrooms, Microsoft Team, Zoom, etc. (Sharma A. , 2021). But out of all modes of transmitting teaching, WhatsApp Stands out as the primary option (75%) for students and teachers in public and private schools. (UNESCO, 2021)
It is observed that in India, due to preference for sons, the likelihood of families/ households under economic crisis may still support his school continuation. This might not be the same for the girl child, who was expected to help out more in household chores and take care of family members.
(UNESCO, 2021)
Yet, as a famous saying goes, 'Educating a girl child is education for a family', the term justifies women's expressive nature, greater affection for others, thus making them better mentors.
Therefore, in the case of urban scenarios, where women get to learn new digital skills, they also share the knowledge in the family. (M. Vimalkumar, 2021) Such skills are convenient for families trying to support their children's online education.
What does past literature suggest?
Digital Divide and Gender Digital Divide Definition
Digital divide the term consists of two words, 'Digital' derived from the technological field and 'Divide' which comes from the social sciences field. It represents the divide related to access to technology based on the rich and poor. Yet the term cannot be given haves and have nots binary. (Alka, 2019) Because with evolving time, the definitions too have evolved. (M. Vimalkumar, 2021) It may have represented the divide between rich and poor, the information-rich and the information poor, the developed and the developing/least developed countries in a specific time frame. But such a simple analogy cannot be used today as these divides can exist between two countries, two continents, or within a country or a city. The term thus involves multiple layers. These factors could be socio-economic, gender-related, race/ ethnicity, educational prowess, language, etc. (Alka, 2019). Also, unequal capability, access, and awareness of outcomes can be added to the term. This unequal access tends to be among men and women as well (M. Vimalkumar, 2021), giving a gender-based angle to the definition of the digital divide.
COVID-19 and Education
The World Health Organization describes the COVID-19 pandemic as one of the most challenging health emergencies that the world has faced, affecting the very core of the societies. It led to full or partial lockdowns and disruption in the education system for 1.9 billion learners in 190 countries. It is said that response-ability to school closure and country development level is directly proportional. (Sharma A. , 2021)
Compared to other continents, Asia was under a lot of pressure in handling the pandemic given its large population, overcrowded areas, and more, increasing the chances of faster infections. In such a scenario, for India, with the 2nd largest school system in the World after China, closing schools was the most practical measure to curb the spread of the virus. (UNESCO, 2021)
India had called for lockdown in the second week of March 2020, leading to temporary closures of schools, colleges, etc. (Sharma A. , 2021). Due to this, students from all sorts of backgrounds had difficulty continuing their education.
COVID-19, Education, Digital Divide and their effect in India
The digital transition of education in India happened quite rapidly. In the case of urban India, within short periods, schools came up with new digital mechanisms to address the issue. Circulars were sent out to students and parents on the means and instructions of going digital. Most students with access to digital devices, uninterrupted internet, and family support started attending digital classes. It shoved an entire generation of students to master a new set of digital skills to continue their education. Such a societal transformation forced traditional physical classrooms to change into digital ones. The transition was faster than it would have been without a pandemic. Thus, the whole process was more reactionary. (Netta Iivari, 2020)
While the closure of schools is for the sake of curbing the spread of COVID-19, it increased education-related inequalities for children, forcing out a large number of students from school due to the digital divide. A ‘2020 Save the Children' pandemic survey shows a possibility of an education pause of up to 55% in urban India. (Sonawane, 2020)
Digital education is a challenge for many Indian students, given the varying access level to infrastructure, internet, digital devices, etc. (Sonawane, 2020). This point can be further established from a MoSPI (2019) (Ministry of Statistics and Program Implementation), which stated that only 24% of Indians owned smartphones. (Sonawane, 2020) Compared to this, a 2020 NDTV report puts forward a techARCH report stating that 77% of Indians own a smartphone and access the internet. (Service, 2020)
While the urban-rural divide may have its separate set of issues, an urban divide too can be considered. The lockdowns in India affected millions of migrant worker/ daily wage earners during the pandemic. (UNESCO, 2021) This affected the children of daily wage workers, who had to go back to their villages during the lockdown, thus, affecting their education. (Netta Iivari, 2020)
Factors leading to the Digital Gender divide
Overall, there are various barriers to such digital transformations. These can be cultural, identity, mindsets, digital skills, etc. (Netta Iivari, 2020). Additionally, socio-economic factors have a significant influence on digital gender divides. These could be related to background, educational level, income, etc. While digital devices and internet packages are becoming cheaper day by day, awareness and technological knowledge are key factors. The educational level also tends to affect the affordability of such devices directly. (Alka, 2019)
Themes such as family values, existing social standards, culture, biases, etc., tend to negatively impact women regarding self-belief of accessing and operating digital devices. Some literature also implies that men can easily understand technology-related information compared to women. Thus, a gender bias at home persists, i.e., if the home computer is required by both the girl and boy child, parents tend to prioritize the boy's needs. (M. Vimalkumar, 2021)
Some studies claim that a girl child in India is disadvantaged when it comes to gaining quality education, i.e., families tend to send their sons to private schools while daughters to public schools. Thus, there already exists a difference in education expenditure based on gender. (M. Vimalkumar, 2021) Such bias may or may not exist in urban India. Since such a statement cannot be generalized for the country, revisiting the same issue based on digital education is required. The intention is to find if there is a link between digital gender divide and education during the pandemic in urban India.
While almost 90% of countries have tried to respond to the education crisis through tech-driven policies (Sharma A. , 2021), unawareness, lack of knowledge, access, cultural biases, digital illiteracy etc., play a significant role in the digital gender divide. There has been a plethora of digital educational content circulated by government and private bodies. But its awareness, reach, and engagement with students are not measurable due to lack of evidence. (UNESCO, 2021) This may result in a learning loss (Sharma A. , 2021), leading to the loss of foundational knowledge in younger kids, thus intensifying existing inequalities through the loss of learning opportunities. (Sharma A. , 2021)
Existing Data on Digital Gender Divide
The greater male usage of the internet over females exists in most countries. But such a gender-based digital divide tends to be more in developing countries than developed countries. (M. Vimalkumar, 2021) Reports claim that only 29% of female internet users are present in India, while countries like Brazil, Malaysia, and Singapore have 70%, 79%, and 88% female internet users, respectively. (M. Vimalkumar, 2021). So, it can be said that there is a wider gender gap in internet users in South Asian countries like India. (M. Vimalkumar, 2021)
According to a 2016 World Wide Web Foundation report, the worldwide digital gender gap only improved from 11% in 2013 to 12% in 2016. A 2020 World Wide Web Foundation report states that globally, men are 21% more likely to be using the internet when compared to women. This gap increases to 52% in the Least Developed Countries. (Chenai Chair, 2020)
While a 2017 Hindustan Times report claims that out of the total population of India, the Urban population, comprising 34% of the country, gets internet penetration of up to 59%. (Alka, 2019) In contrast, a 2020 Financial Express article reports that internet penetration in Urban India is now 93%. (Sharma, 2020) While a Gender divide is still persistent, the gap between male and female internet users has improved. This can be seen in the internet usage gap between males and females in a 2021 The Print article which states that compared to 57% male internet users, there exists 43%, female internet users. (Mihindukulasuriya, 2021)
The article focuses on India in particular. Observations suggest improvement in economic development, increase in per capita income in recent years, yet an increasing digital gender divide continues in India. (M. Vimalkumar, 2021) The article thus tries to discover certain themes in the backdrop of existing gender barriers and its effect on digital education during the pandemic, particularly in urban India.
This is how we went about our research
Research Question
The following study approach has been used to justify the research question, "Whether the gender discrepancy in terms of access to online education in Indian cities has changed?"
Data Collection
In-depth interviews were the primary qualitative research method used in this study. Combined structured questionnaires were planned ahead of time and included both closed-ended questions (i.e., of the type ‘yes’ or ‘no’) and open-ended questions (i.e., inviting free response) (Kothari, 2004). The in-depth interviews aimed to collect data on the digital gender difference in urban areas across India. The format of personal structured interviews was utilized in the research article, using predetermined questions and standardized recording techniques (Kothari, 2004).
Furthermore, secondary data for the research study, such as journal articles, news portals, reports from relevant organizations like Cry and UNESCO, were referred to supplement and substantiate the primary data (Alka, 2019).
Participants
The sample size consisted of twenty-one participants, including two school teachers, twelve students under 17, and seven parents. The participants were chosen exclusively based on their city residence, and their involvement in the study was purely voluntary.
Moreover, the interviews took place over three weeks. Three questionnaires were constructed: one for school-aged children under 17, one for the parents, and one for teachers who took online lectures in schools throughout the pandemic. The interviews were conducted in various methods, including in-person, over the phone, and on online platforms such as Zoom.
Cities
The selection of the cities was guided by considering factors like the availability of the interviewers and their eagerness to participate in the study. Moreover, the study has considered Kolkata and Ranchi from the eastern part of the country, Pune from the south-western portion of the country, and Lucknow and New Delhi from the northern portion of the country.
Data Analysis
The thematic qualitative research analysis technique was employed to thoroughly examine the primary data gathered from the interviews. The basic procedures for analyzing the data were as follows: The transcripts of the interviews were first prepared, and then transcripts were rigorously reviewed to generate codes and identify themes. The themes developed through the lens of gender divide are: "Digital Literacy," "Family Support," "Preference for Offline Classes," and "Access to Digital Devices."
Limitations
There were several limitations to the approach undertaken to conduct this research in terms of the methodology chosen. The first limitation is that an urban South Indian perspective could not be obtained due to the unavailability of respondents.
The second limitation is that the data acquired and conclusions reached cannot be extrapolated to a larger scale because of the small sample size. To put it another way, the findings cannot be applied to the entire population. In addition, both time and money were constraints for the interviews. Lastly, the recent surge in the cases due to the Omicron Variant of COVID-19 in India proved to be a substantial impediment in conducting in-person interviews.
Here's what we found!
Results & Discussion
Results
Thematic Analysis was used to interpret the primary data collected in the form of transcripts. The analysis gave key themes that most commonly come up in the interviews. These themes through the lens of gender divide are: "Digital Literacy," "Family Support," "Preference for Offline Classes," and "Access to Digital Devices."
Digital Literacy
The theme aims to look at the digital capabilities among students. It is also to understand the ease/ difficulty with which male and female students could transition from physical to digital classes. The theme will also try to look at the gendered digital divide aspect.
Most of the interviewees expressed marginal issues when starting with the digital classes during the primary data collection. They had to learn how to create a Gmail account; access google link/ other platform online classes.
Initially, schools tried to familiarize the students with instructions on using online platforms. But mostly, female students had to get additional help from online videos, friends, neighbours, etc., and practice for extended periods to familiarize themselves with the transition. In most cases, WhatsApp was the primary mode of communication between teachers and students.
14-year-old Girl Kolkata
Male students, too, had some difficulty but quickly adapted to the transition due to prior familiarity with devices.
Male Students, Delhi
Dhruv: "I was going to tuitions, and I saw some videos. Some educational videos on YouTube."
Sudhanshu: "I used to go to tuitions and watch some videos on YouTube."
Family Support
Family support through parents, siblings, and distant relatives was crucial for students for a smoother transition to online education. This was in the form of educational, technical, and moral support when transitioning to online classes. This determined what kind of support they could extend to their children.
Male students, Delhi "Did your parents encourage you to study more?
Dhruv: Yes, they did. Sudhanshu: Yes, they do because they want my future to be bright."
14-year-old girl Kolkata
The support could also be seen in cases where they encouraged their children to study with focus. Both males and females were equally encouraged to study well. Parents also urged their children to have a better school-life balance by doing physical exercises, sparing time for entertainment, etc. Thus, parents were also observant of their mental health to not fall into depression.
14-year-old Girl Kolkata
"Okay. Why (entertainment should be done side by side)?"
"Because father thinks that for entertainment there must be a separate time or else, I may feel mentally depressed."
Siblings, too, played a crucial role in supporting the online education of their younger siblings by helping out with technical difficulties and explaining doubts and concepts from school. Sometimes the roles were reversed where the younger sibling helped the elder ones.
Parent- 17-Year-Old Girl Pune
In some cases, observations pointed that the elder male sibling was preferred over the female one since it was assumed that he has better knowledge and understanding of the aspects of all things digital.
12-Year-old girl Kolkata
"Okay, why (brother helps more)?"
"Because my brother knows many things as he knows more technically. My elder sister helps as well. But my elder brother helps more"
Preference for Offline Classes
The haste to online mode of schools was the most preferred mode of education in terms of safety and curbing the spread of the coronavirus. But the prolonged nature of the virus and uncertainty of reopening physical classes have led to fatigue and want for offline classes.
Students have missed out on the socio-developmental aspect of physical schooling. While all participants wanted physical classes to reopen, there were varying reasons. Most wanted to go back to physical classes since network issues, technical glitches, etc., led to a lack of understanding of concepts and limited doubt solving time.
16-year-old Male Students, Delhi
Many of the male participants wanted to go back to physical classes to meet their friends and play sports.
While female participants wanted face-to-face interactions with friends and teachers, they wanted to gossip, have a familiarity with the teacher, help the teacher with non-academic work (like assisting them in any way, being the class monitor, etc.), a better understanding of concepts by asking doubts face to face, etc.
12-Year-old Girl Kolkata
Thus, in terms of preference for physical classes, each gender had a divided viewpoint for choosing offline classes over digital classes. But no digital gender divide (in terms of familial pressure, income issues, historical biases, etc) was observed in terms of non-preference for online classes. Also, no gender digital divide was found in terms of non-preference for digital classes apart from technical issues, lack of social interactions and digital fatigue.
Access to Digital Classes
According to the responses collected, most of them had access to some or the other forms of digital devices. Many initially started with their parent's smartphones.
16-year-old Girl Lucknow
"Did you have digital devices and internet connection when online schools started?"
Yes, I already had a laptop and a stable internet connection when online school started.
Male Student Delhi
Dhruv: No! No! I had all the devices.
Sudhanshu: No, I had all the gadgets."
Some households with two siblings saw no issues with access to devices as one used desktop computers while the other used the smartphone. In some cases, siblings had to share one device (smartphone) to access online classes.
Parent of two children (Boy & Girl)- Pune
During classes, echoing, multiple speakers at a time, irregular internet connectivity, etc., also led to a lack of understanding. Thus, students could not ask doubts often, etc. The female respondents were keener to resolve these issues as compared to the male respondents.
But the most used device was a smartphone. It was challenging to use since one had to stare at a small screen for hours. Students also had to type their projects/ answers/ assignments on the small smartphone screen, which irritated the eyes and back/ neck aches over constant hunched over posture.
Also, in the case of smartphones, some students used lower memory smartphones, which made it difficult to store notes or had to delete items to make space for the essential files constantly, or the device screen would freeze or lag.
These concerns were mainly raised by female students as compared to male students, which may indicate a gender divide based on accessibility to better devices/digital resources.
(These were additional responses given to us by the female students.)
Some teachers have observed a gender divide regarding access to digital devices. This is primarily due to limited devices at home and the low income of the household. In such a scenario, the male child is preferred to continue with their education online.
Ms. Anjali, a teacher at St. Michael School, Ranchi.
Thus, in terms of access to digital devices, while in most cities, no such digital divide was observed in terms of gender, one of the exception cases was Ranchi. Thus a declining gendered digital divide cannot be generalized for all urban cities.
Discussion
Through interviews in our study, the primary research has shown a declining gender divide in online education in the Indian cities of New Delhi, Lucknow, Pune, and Kolkata. This is in contrast to Ranchi where a considerable gender divide was observed. The research has found that gender has a limited impact on accessibility to the internet, computers, and phones (digital devices) for educational purposes. These findings can be supported through secondary data furthered by (Singh. et al., 2013) claiming that gender has limited impacts on the usage of computers (digital devices). Our study has considered the replies from students, teachers, and parents across the selected cities. Thus, their understanding of education has been an essential factor behind the declining gender divide.
Most students have a greater preference for offline classes. The students with multiple device ownership do not have to share their devices with their siblings or any other family members. However, some portions of the respondents demonstrated partial digital literacy.
The majority of parents have responded that education is essential for all children irrespective of gender. Thus, most families gave all their children access to digital devices for educational purposes regardless of their gender. Therefore, as per the primary data, the study has observed progress in gender-neutral parenting concerning access to online education during the pandemic.
In cities like Ranchi, girls are more in number as compared to the boys in online classes at government schools. According to a respondent, such a trend is seen due to increased government funding for mid-day meal scheme.
The study, based on the responses and past literature concludes that the digital gender divide has improved in urban India since there is a shift in the attitude of various stakeholders supporting access to digital education irrespective of gender.
So in the end..
Through interviews in the study, the primary research has shown a declining gender divide in online education in the Indian cities of New Delhi, Lucknow, Pune, and Kolkata, except Ranchi. The study considered the responses from students, parents, and teachers across the selected cities to discover certain prominent themes. The themes identified through research are: 'Digital Literacy,' 'Family Support,' 'Preference for Offline Classes,' and 'Access to Digital Devices.'
While existing literature suggests that a gender divide exists in digital education, our research and findings demonstrate an improvement in urban India. Though our results may hold true for most parts of urban India, the situation could differ for students in rural areas and underprivileged children.
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