Only one-third of women in India have access to the Internet, the rural population is also far behind
Report: Widening gender gap despite a digital growth rate of 13%
Muskan 
Women are far behind in the use of the internet in India. According to a study by NGO Oxfam India, only one-third of women in the country use the internet. India is in the worst condition in the Asia-Pacific region with a wide gender gap of 40.4 percent. The study report also mentions the rural-urban digital divide. According to this, despite registering a significant digital growth rate of 13 percent a year, only 31 percent of the rural population has internet access, while 67 percent of the urban population is connected to the internet. The report analyzed primary data from the Center for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE) household survey conducted from January 2018 to December 2021.
According to the report, Maharashtra has the highest internet penetration among states. It is followed by Goa and Kerala. It is the lowest in Bihar. Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand are also backward in internet matters.
According to NFHS-5, 20.6 percent of women in Bihar use the Internet. In comparison, such men are 43.6 percent. This percentage is 30.6: 59.1 in Uttar Pradesh and 35: 62.4 in Karnataka respectively.
