After a new study came into existence, it is revealed the women in Pakistan are much less educated and belong to poor families who cannot even afford a mobile phone. The study is called “The Information Communication Technology access and use in Asia and the Global South”. It has hence revealed that 37% of women between the ages of 15-65 years are less likely to own a mobile phone when compared to the men of the same country. Furthermore, the report is based on a survey conducted between over 2000 households.
Now out of the Women between 15-65 years, it is revealed that 43% of the same group are less likely to have access to the internet as the men of the country are thought to be more convenient when it comes to the technological gains of the country. As per the results revealed by these surveys Pakistan, India and Bangladesh are among the countries with one of the highest gender gaps in Asia. Moreover, this survey is dependent on the usage of mobile phones and the internet.
Furthermore, it should be taken in to account that more or less half of the population of the globe is comprised of Women. In Pakistan, it is the same case, out of total population of 207 Million people 101 Million of these people are females which brings us to the conclusion that Women play an integral part of any society which plans to develop its country. So these are the numbers! Alarming I am sure but what should be done in retaliation? Well for a start platform should be provided to women as well which will help the country utilize the talents on offer from the female population of Pakistan which can, in turn, bring revolutionary changes to not only in Pakistan but I am sure any country who goes forward with this game-plan. The innovations of technology have opened up so many doors but unfortunately, large numbers of the female population are behind when it comes to the internet use and access which in our opinion is quite sad.
Must Read: Meet Nomi, First-ever transgender employee of the government
Furthermore, Pakistan is also one of the many countries where the unconnected population and the gender gap in mobile ownership are quite high. Moreover, there are a number of reasons at the moment which have supposedly put the nails in the coffin. The reasons include the high cost of purchasing mobile phones, Limited internet coverage, Security concerns which include harassment over the phone. Moreover, the country comprises many cultures and that certainly plays a part too. The literacy rate of Pakistan is also quite weak so understanding technically difficult mobile phones can be quite hard and yes the dependency on male members of Family in Pakistan is also very high.
Now in order to support this argument, it is deemed necessary to mention that if the telecom providers play a role in closing this more or less unethical gender gap in mobile phone penetration then in terms of revenue well many of the telecom providers can get richer. It is estimated that the revenue would increase by $13 billion. Finally, Pakistan has to give a significant amount of share to empower women through the use of cellular devices which would, in turn, help the country move forward.
