By Manisha Dhulipala
Technology today shapes economies, cultures, and identities. Yet, human-centred design has long focused on the “average” user, overlooking gender inclusivity. Platforms and apps rarely consider transgender individuals, making access and usability especially difficult for this marginalised group.
The link between technology and inequality is vital for institutions and nations to address. At the 4th Gender & Inclusion Conference in August, hosted by the Centre for Development Policy and Practice (CDPP), a key panel explored how policy and governance can foster technological inclusivity.
Women and other genders remain underrepresented in tech creation, use, and regulation, making them less likely to use digital services or pursue tech careers. Online harassment deepens this gap. The Costs of Exclusion (Web Foundation, 2022) report noted that this limits digital empowerment and tech’s transformative potential. Over the past decade, excluding women from the digital sphere has cost low and middle-income countries (LMICs) approximately USD 1 trillion in GDP.
Gendered inequality
De jure and De facto rights are two sides of the same coin, exposing the gap between law and practice. Technology enables communication and engagement, but moral issues can’t be solved by tech alone.
As per a press release by the NITI Aayog (2024), India’s overall Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) score has improved from 36 in 2018 to 49 in 2023–2024. But other parameters as part of the SDG 5 (Gender Equality), such as female to male earnings, and ratio of female to male labour force participation, have not moved much on the scale.
India ranked 131 out of 148 countries as per the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report (GGGR) 2025. India’s parity score has been recorded as 64.1% which is among the lowest in South Asia, with its overall rank as 122 out of 191 countries. The Human Development Report (HDR) 2022 (released in March 2024 by UNDP) records India’s Gender Inequality Index (GII) as 0.490. Over the last 10 years, India’s rank in GII has become consistently better, indicating improvement. In 2014, this rank improved from 127 to 108 in 2024. These are positive milestones; however, the ground reality is far from it, with implementation gaps and cultural barriers persisting. The SDG Report 2025 states that, though there has been progress against many parameters in SDG 5 over the last decades, the world is far from achieving the goal by 2030. It further highlights that SDG 5 continues to lag significantly, below 30%, which reflects the poor performance of most countries and regions, which are stagnating.
Internet & inequality
According to data released by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), a United Nations specialised agency for digital technologies/information and communications technologies (ICTs), the gender digital divide persists regardless of a country’s overall uptake of ICT, its access levels, economic performance, income, or geographic location.
Bridging the gender digital divide goes beyond basic internet and phone access; it requires ICT training and fostering women’s leadership in academia and entrepreneurship. The Mobile Gender Gap Report (MGGR, 2024) shows that while 83% of women in LMICs own a mobile phone, they still lag behind men in access and usage. Underserved women—those with low literacy, limited income, rural backgrounds, or disabilities—face significant barriers, including affordability, literacy, and digital skills.
The Report shows mobile internet adoption stayed flat in 6 of 11 markets. Indonesia saw progress—women’s adoption outpaced men’s, narrowing the gap from 15% to 8%. In India, women’s usage rose from 30% to 37% in 2023, while men’s stayed steady, reducing the gap from 40% to 30%. Given India’s size and influence in South Asia and LMICs, this shift is significant. Once women use mobile phones and the internet, they see clear benefits, improving their lives and families.
Inequality exists online and offline—not all users engage equally. Some women and gender minorities use the internet actively, others passively, or remain inactive. Corporate walls and “diversity politics” often stall genuine voices, with examples like rainbow capitalism and content moderation decisions.
According to a report by McKinsey (2023), in India, women comprise only 25% of the global technology workforce and even fewer in AI and cybersecurity with only 19% women scientists. The underrepresentation of women in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) is not just an Indian problem, but seems a global issue. According to a UNESCO report (2024), around 30% of researchers globally are women. The gender gap is driven by various factors, including societal norms, lack of role models, unconscious biases, and limited access to education and opportunities. Cultural expectations and a male-dominated work environment make it even harder for women to thrive in STEM careers, reflecting the “leaky pipeline,” where women exit the workforce at various stages due to workplace hostility, social norms, and caregiving responsibilities.
Government programmes like the Gender Advancement for Transforming Institutions (GATI) initiative, a pilot project under the Women in Science and Engineering-Knowledge Involvement in Research Advancement through Nurturing (WISE-KIRAN) division of the Department of Science &Technology (DST), aim to promote gender equity by helping institutions assess and improve environments using global best practices. It includes a national database with 30% reservations, but outcomes remain limited; outreach and role models for girls are weak. The issue lies in mindsets and socioeconomic factors, not technology—governance and culture must be addressed to improve women’s STEM participation.
Role of policy and governance
While technology can aid engagement with population and environmental concerns, moral considerations cannot be solved by technology alone; it can amplify issues like population growth and the carrying capacity of a nation, but ethical constraints and limits must guide our applications based on our understanding.
There is an urgent need to address systemic gender and technology issues in policy and governance, particularly regarding women’s representation. Empowering women through policy and community-driven digital infrastructure can help create equitable technology ecosystems. It’s crucial to adopt nuanced approaches rather than relying solely on technology to resolve gender issues. Inclusive governance and equitable access to digital resources are essential, and meaningful institutional reforms are necessary to change cultural mindsets.
Effective policy and governance are essential to closing the gender gap in technology. Inclusive policy design must involve women in shaping digital policies, from data privacy to AI ethics. Community-driven digital infrastructure can empower women by addressing local needs and ensuring safe online environments. Public-private collaboration can leverage the strengths of both sectors to foster an equitable technology ecosystem, with accountability enforced by public institutions. Policies should also support women and other genders in gaining digital skills, particularly in STEM education and digital literacy.
(The Centre for Development Policy and Practice held a conference in Hyderabad on August 8 & 9, 2025, titled “Gender & Inclusion Gender and Inclusion Conference: Exploring the Intersection of Gender, Technology and Socioeconomic Empowerment.” This article is based on the discussion by various speakers.)
Manisha Dhulipala is a Senior Research Fellow at CDPP. She holds a double masters in Environmental Sciences and Sustainable Development. Her areas of research interest include public health, environmental sustainability, development, education, and gender.
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