Digital divide among TS men and women; more men use internet: Report

Hyderabad: Only 26.5% of women in the age group of 15-49 years have ever used the internet in Telangana, according to the National Health Family Survey- 5 (NFHS-5). In India, 33.3% of women in the age group of 15-49 years have used the internet.

In Telangana, 50% of men in the age group of 15-49 years have used the internet. In India, 51.2% of men have ever used the internet.

Around 17.1% of women in the age group of 15-49 years usually read a newspaper or magazine, 75.1% of women watch television at least once a week, 2.1% of women listen to the radio at least once a week, 15.7% of women usually visit the cinema or theatre at least once a month, and 20.1% women are not regularly exposed to any of these media.

Around 41.6% of men in the 15-49 age group usually read a newspaper or magazine, 75.2% of men watch television at least once a week, 6.1% of men listen to the radio at least once a week, 48.4% of men who usually visit the cinema or theatre at least once a month, and 11.8% women are not regularly exposed to any of these media.

According to the NFHS-5 report, information on the exposure of women and men to mass media is especially important for the development of educational programmes, particularly information about family planning, HIV/AIDS, and other important health topics. Men are more likely than women to be exposed to any and all forms of media, including newspapers, television, radio, and the cinema

Television is the most common form of media exposure for both women and men across all sub-groups, followed by newspapers or magazines in the country. A substantial proportion of women and men do not access any of the four media at least on a weekly basis (41% of women and 32% of men)

Thirty-three per cent of women and over half (51%) of men aged 15-49 in India have ever used the internet. More than half (52%) of women and 66% of men in urban areas have ever used the internet, compared with only one-fourth of women and 43% of men in rural areas

Internet use increases with education with 72% of women and three-quarters of men with 12 or more years of education ever using the internet, compared with 8% of women and less than one-quarter (24%) of men with less than five years of schooling.

Women and men who have never married are more likely to have ever used the internet (50% and 57%, respectively) than those in other marital status groups. More women and men in the highest wealth quintile have ever used the internet (69% and 78%, respectively) than those in the lowest wealth quintile (9% and 26%, respectively).