Women more prone to online bullying, says NGO study

Mobile market turning a vulnerability for economically poor women

A recent study has revealed that only 17 per cent women seek information online and women, more than men, reported instances of online bullying.

Access to the Internet alone does not translate into empowerment of women, according to the study by the World Wide Web (WWW) Foundation and City-based NGO, It for Change.

The study further states that having an Internet connection does not necessarily result in access to information for women from economically backward sections of society.

As part of the Women's Rights Online study conducted this year, Internet usage patterns of 770 women and 265 men in urban poor neighbourhoods of New Delhi were analysed. Out of the number of people surveyed, 43 per cent of men and 46 per cent of women used internet and Facebook was an ‘important part of their internet experience’. Also, as many as 96 per cent of men and 98 per cent of women, used Facebook.

While at the surface, poor women in urban areas are part of the consumer pool for the mobile market, quite contrary to empowering them, there is a risk that this trend is adding to their vulnerability: The study highlights that women are more prone to receiving threats on the web and many were even bullied online, the researchers added.

Giving an insight into this trend, Director of IT For Change Anita Gurumurthy and senior research associate Nandini Chami observed, “Life choices for the urban poor are limited by their already weak informational and communication networks. These marginalities are particularly pronounced if you are a woman”

It was also found that only49 per cent of women explored links outside of Facebook. In contrast, 71 per cent of men accessed links apart from Facebook.

When it came to usage of information obtained from the net, only 17 per cent of women internet users looked for information online. Also, only 4 per cent of women said that social networking helped them land jobs, while 12 per cent men found jobs through social media.