50% Indian women find no reason to access the net

25 May 2015

A survey by Google showed that women with access to the internet formed a third of the total Indian population with access to the facility.

According to the survey 49 per cent of women did not see any reason to access the internet.

According to Sandeep Menon, country head, marketing for Google India, while there was low awareness about the benefits of internet amongst women in India, there were many who wanted to get online to succeed in life.

The study titled, Women & Technology involving 828 Indian women with ages ranging from 8 to 55 identified connection issues, affordability and time as the key constraints to accessing the internet.

According to many of the respondents, managing their households left little time for what was perceived to be a leisure activity.

Some women said they feared angering their in-laws for spending too much time online.

The report pointed out that internet cafes and smartphones could be a cheaper more private way for Indian women to access the tnternet, the report pointed out.

The respondents said, if they had more privacy they would use the internet more.

In November 2013, Google India launched Helping Women Get Online (HWGO) with the objective of cutting the internet population gender gap in India and earlier this year and get on the internet and understand how they could get ahead in life.