Gender Divide On Internet: Only 35% Of Women In K'Taka Ever Used Internet, NFHS Data Reveals

The National Family Health Survey (NFHS) revealed that only one-third of women in Karnataka had used the internet in their lives, compared to more than 62.4 per cent of men. Only about 25 per cent of the total of 35 per cent of women who have used the internet are from rural areas, and the rest belong to the urban sections of the state. Among men, 55.6 per cent of men belong to rural areas, and more than 71 per cent belong to urban areas.

Statistics Of Other Big States

In other big states like Uttar Pradesh, a little over 30 per cent of women have ever used the facility, whereas the number of men who have used it is nearly double. Bihar and Andhra Pradesh are the lowest-performing states, with only 20.6 and 21 per cent of women who have used the internet.

Narrowing Gender Gap In Attending School

Even as a few indicators of gender parity between men and women improved, the latest round of the survey showed that a little over half of the women in the state had attended school for more than ten years. The gender gap for attending school seems to be narrowing in the state, with 56.5 of men attending school for more than ten years. In other states like Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh- Telangana (together), less than 30 per cent of women are using the internet, whereas more than half of men have used it, the Times of India quoted.

Tamil Nadu was one of the best performing states with over 56 per cent of women who had attended school for more than ten years, and nearly 47 per cent of them had used the internet. The overall analysis of the data reiterated the lack of access to facilities for men and women living in rural areas.

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