Assessing the digital divide chasm depriving the information have nots: A study of rural women working in the informal sector in Mirzapur

Abstract

Where numerous government initiatives now aim at transforming the nation into a digitally empowered one, other schemes for social development also rely on digital technologies for easier access and larger outreach. But does the information on these schemes reach the rural populations whom they target? Moreover, do they reach women, particularly rural, underprivileged and working women who have historically held a more vulnerable position in society? The current paper aims to address these questions and assess the prevalence of the digital (and consequent information) divide amongst the rural women working in the unorganized sector of Mirzapur district, Uttar Pradesh.