It hurts to accept the fact that there are over 200 million illiterate women in India. However, this number has gradually decreased in recent times and it doesn’t hide the fact that the count is still very much high and a matter of concern for not just women in India but also for the country’s standards globally.
India, a country which has provided exceptionally strong and brilliant women leaders in all the fields over the years may be in a negative state to give a voice to women.
Rural women are finding their voice:
Lately, with the introduction of image and voice sharing apps, exchange in messages has been liberal and convenient for women to connect with family, friends, and even to run new businesses.
Unlike finding employment in a formal workforce, It is just optimal for ladies to work from home with the help of smartphones and computers via a stable internet connection.
According to a study, 10% of web customers in India’s rural areas have been women. Over 6,50,000 villages and 2,50,000 panchayats that have approx 40% population are living below the poverty line. A quarter of India’s population fights against illiteracy everyday. On the other hand, digital literacy is almost hard to come by in a large chunk of the population.
As knowledge plans and network connections have become extra accessible, it’s available now in isolated areas and has benefited illiterate people in rural areas.
The women-friendly ‘Internet Saathi’ program:
Major companies like Google and Facebook work along with native institutions to make it easier for ladies to search the web and connect digitally. The ‘Internet friend’ or ‘Internet Saathi’ program run by Google and Tata trusts, for instance, trains ladies in the villages to be pioneers.
There are plenty of examples of women who previously outsourced, now have the means to reach out in the market for upgrading their business growth. Women who are illiterate and unemployed have a job where they are provided with security and treated with respect. Also, during the period of lockdown, businesses have taken a major beating which has led ladies to research and develop their skills on a digital scale.
Photo Credits second pic :Photo by Oriol Casas on Unsplash
Rural and tribal women in India are the most vulnerable when it comes to expressing themselves since they have no chance of articulating in writing, let alone text messages. How then, can they expect themselves to make a living or even run a business? Internet access is tremendous in India and these women stand to gain a great deal. If the fact that illiterate women can effortlessly communicate through imagery and voice messages online isn’t the epitome of women empowerment, we don’t know what is!
