Beyond the Device: Bridging India’s Digital Gender Divide

Registration ID: IJNRD_313062

Published ID: IJNRD2603043

: https://doi.org/10.56975/ijnrd.v11i3.313062

About Hard Copy and Transparent Peer Review Report

Nelofer Laskar

digital empowerment, digital divide, digital inclusion, mobile gender gap, mobile internet adoption

Digital technologies are widely promoted as tools for inclusion and empowerment, yet gendered inequalities continue to shape who can meaningfully benefit from digital transformation. This study examines the nature and persistence of India’s digital gender divide through a digital empowerment lens, focusing on mobile phone ownership, mobile internet awareness, adoption, and regular use. Using secondary data from the GSMA Mobile Gender Gap Reports spanning 2019–2024, the research quantifies gender disparities across multiple stages of mobile internet access and identifies key barriers hindering women’s digital empowerment. The findings reveal a “leaky pipeline” of inclusion, where women progressively drop off from mobile ownership to awareness, adoption, and daily use of mobile internet. While the gender gap in mobile phone ownership has narrowed over time, disparities remain pronounced in smartphone ownership, mobile internet adoption, and the ability to access mobile digital content regularly. Women are also significantly more likely to rely on shared or borrowed devices, limiting their privacy, autonomy, and overall process to digital empowerment. Among reported barriers, literacy emerges as the most persistent and gendered constraint which affects women towards accessing mobile digital ownership and content. Findings also reveal a sudden reduction in gender gaps across several indicators in the year 2020, which was coincidentally the COVID-19 lockdown period. However, these gains toward reducing the digital divide proved largely unsustainable in the subsequent years, indicating that crisis-induced access does not translate into long-term digital empowerment without structural support. The study demonstrates that access to devices and connectivity alone does not ensure digital empowerment. Instead, structural inequalities related to education, income, and gender norms continue to shape women’s digital capabilities and outcomes. The paper argues for a shift from access-centric digital inclusion strategies toward gender-responsive digital empowerment interventions that integrate functional literacy, affordable smartphone access, and sustained opportunities for meaningful digital use.

Published Paper   E-Certificate

Nelofer Laskar (March-2026). Beyond the Device: Bridging India’s Digital Gender Divide. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF NOVEL RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT, 11(3), a380-a390. https://doi.org/10.56975/ijnrd.v11i3.313062

Volume 11 Issue 3, March-2026

Pages : a380-a390

Paper Reg. ID: IJNRD_313062

Published Paper Id: IJNRD2603043

Research Area: Social Science All

Author Type: Indian Author

Country: North 24 Parganas, West Bengal, India

Published Paper PDF: https://ijnrd.org/papers/IJNRD2603043.pdf

Published Paper URL: https://ijnrd.org/viewpaperforall?paper=IJNRD2603043

Crossref DOI: https://doi.org/10.56975/ijnrd.v11i3.313062

Journal Name: INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF NOVEL RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT(IJNRD)

UGC CARE JOURNAL PUBLICATION | ISSN: 2456-4184 | IMPACT FACTOR: 8.76 Calculated By Google Scholar | ESTD YEAR: 2016

An International UGC CARE JOURNAL PUBLICATION, Low Cost, Scholarly Open Access, Peer-Reviewed, Refereed Journal Impact Factor 8.76 Calculate by Google Scholar and Semantic Scholar | AI-Powered Research Tool, Multidisciplinary, Monthly, Multilanguage Journal Indexing in All Major Database & Metadata, Citation Generator

Publisher: IJNRD (IJ Publication) Janvi Wave | IJNRD.ORG | IJNRD.COM | IJPUB.ORG

© 2026 - Authors hold the copyright of this article. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. and The Open Definition. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0). 🛡️ Disclaimer: The content, data, and findings in this article are based on the authors’ research and have been peer-reviewed for academic purposes only. Readers are advised to verify all information before practical or commercial use. The journal and its editorial board are not liable for any errors, losses, or consequences arising from its use.

Call For Paper - Volume 11 | Issue 4 | April 2026

IJNRD is a Scholarly Open Access, Peer-Reviewed, Refereed, and UGC CARE Journal Publication with a High Impact Factor of 8.76 (calculated by Google Scholar & Semantic Scholar | AI-Powered Research Tool). It is a Multidisciplinary, Monthly, Low-Cost, and Transparent Peer Review Journal Publication that adheres to the New UGC CARE Transparent Peer-Reviewed Journal Policy and aligns with Scopus Journal Publication standards to ensure the highest level of research quality and credibility.

IJNRD offers comprehensive Journal Publication Services including indexing in all major databases and metadata repositories, Digital Object Identifier (Crossref DOI) assignment for each published article with additional fees, citation generation tools, and full Open Access visibility to enhance global research reach and citation impact.

The INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF NOVEL RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT (IJNRD) aims to advance applied, theoretical, and experimental research across diverse academic and professional fields. The journal promotes global knowledge exchange among researchers, developers, academicians, engineers, and practitioners, serving as a trusted platform for innovative, peer-reviewed journal publication and scientific collaboration.

Indexing Coverage: Google Scholar, SSRN, ResearcherID-Publons, Semantic Scholar (AI-Powered Research Tool), Microsoft Academic, Academia.edu, arXiv.org, ResearchGate, CiteSeerX, ResearcherID (Thomson Reuters), Mendeley, DocStoc, ISSUU, Scribd, and many other recognized academic repositories.

Transparent Peer Review Journal Publication: IJNRD operates a strict double-blind peer review system managed by 3000+ expert reviewers, ensuring ethical, unbiased, and high-quality review for every research paper.

For Indian Authors : Get a transparent peer review report from Scholar9.com for just ₹1000. View Sample Report

For Foreign Authors : A detailed peer review report is available through Scholar9.com for $20 USD. View Sample Report

Transparent Peer Review Journal Publication

⭐ Transparent Peer Review | 🕵️‍♂️ Double-Blind | 👨‍🏫 3000+ Expert Reviewers | 🇮🇳 Report for India Author ₹1000 | 🌐 Report for Foreign Author $20 | 📄 Sample Reports on Scholar9.com | 🌍 High Credibility | ⚖️ Ethical & Unbiased Evaluation

How to submit the paper?

By Our website

Click Here to Submit Paper Online

By Mail

Send your paper to editor@ijnrd.org

Recently, the UGC discontinued the UGC-CARE Journal List and introduced new parameters that allow publication in Transparent Peer-Reviewed (Refereed) Journals. IJNRD is Transparent Peer Review Journal Valid As per New UGC Notification.

You can now publish your research paper in IJNRD.ORG. IJNRD is a Transparent Peer-Reviewed Open Access (Refereed Journal), UGC and UGC CARE Approved, Crossref DOI, Multidisciplinary, Impact Factor calculate by Google Scholar. As an International, open-access, and online journal, Publishing with us ensures wider reach, academic credibility, and enhanced recognition for your work.

For more details, refer to the official notice: UGC Public Notice

⭐ Low Cost ₹1570 | 📚 UGC CARE Approved | 🔍 Peer-Reviewed | 🌐 Open Access | 🔗 Crossref DOI & Global Indexing | 📊 Google Scholar Impact Factor | 🧪 Multidisciplinary

Submit Paper Online  Call for Paper  About IJNRD UGC CARE Approval

Important Dates for Current issue

Paper Submission Open For: April 2026

Current Issue: Volume 11 | Issue 4 | April 2026

Impact Factor: 8.76

Last Date for Paper Submission: Till 30-Apr-2026

Notification of Review Result: Transparent peer review process - your paper is evaluated by experts, and you receive acceptance or rejection updates via email and SMS.

Publication of Paper: Once all documents are submitted, your paper is published without delay, and you can instantly download your certificate and confirmation letter online.

Frequency: Monthly (12 issue Annually).

Journal Type: IJNRD is an international open-access journal offering Low Cost Journal Publication, transparent Peer Review Journal Publication, Crossref DOI, and multidisciplinary research visibility under UGC CARE Approved Journal Publication.

Subject Category: Research Area

Approval, Licenses and Indexing: More Details

Call For Paper - Volume 11 | Issue 4 | April 2026

IJNRD.org offers low-cost journal publication starting at ₹1570 with UGC CARE Approved, refereed, peer-reviewed, open-access publishing. This multidisciplinary monthly journal, available in both online and print formats, features a strong Google Scholar-based impact factor of 8.76, Transparent Peer Review, CrossRef DOI, global indexing, fast publication, and complete metadata for maximum research visibility and citation impact across multidisciplinary domains.

Volume 11 | Issue 4 | April 2026 | IJNRD Transparent Peer Review Certificate | Submit Paper Online till 30-Apr-2026

⭐ UGC CARE Approved Refereed Journal | 🔍 Transparent Peer Review | 🌐 Open Access Publishing | 💰 Low-Cost ₹1570 | 🔗 CrossRef DOI & Global Indexing | 📊 Google Scholar Impact Factor 8.76 | 🧪 Multidisciplinary | Online & Print

Submit Paper Online