The information on internet use in Bangladesh, which has come up in a report titled 'the mobile gender gap report-2024' by the Global System for Mobile Communications Association (GSMA), is disappointing. According to the report, women in Bangladesh are trailing significantly in mobile internet usage compared to their male counterparts and women in other Asian countries.
GSMA report says the global mobile network monitoring entity mentioned that only 24 per cent of women in Bangladesh have access to mobile internet services, while the percentage is 40 per cent for men. 53 per cent of men use the internet and 37 per cent of women use the internet in India. The ratio is 69 per cent and 63 per cent in Indonesia and 53 per cent and 33 per cent in Pakistan.
This means 60 per cent of men are out of internet service while 76 per cent of women are out of internet service. According to the report in 2020, 33 per cent of men used mobile phones and 16 per cent of women would use mobile phones. So the use of the internet has increased a little bit. But that is far behind than the neighbouring countries.
At that time, 36 per cent of men would use smartphones while 21 per cent of women use this phone. 19 per cent of men use basic phones while 13 women use this phone. On the contrary, 85 per cent of men own a cellphone while 68 per cent of women own it. So 32 per cent of women don't use cell phones.
To prepare the report, the GSMA conducted surveys in 12 low- and middle-income countries and collected data from 1,000 individuals aged 15 and above in each country, except India, where 2,000 people were surveyed.
The countries are Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Senegal, Nigeria, Uganda, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Indonesia, Guatemala, and Mexico.
The ruling Awami League has been talking about establishing digital Bangladesh since 2009. Is it possible to be lagging behind in using the internet and smartphone? It has a connection to the financial ability of the citizens. According to the government's estimation, 18 per cent of the people live below the poverty line. We can say this section of men and women is out of the smartphone and internet service. The GSMA study said the additional price of cell phone and internet is an obstacle to internet use.
Women are lagging in using smart phones and the internet due to financial and social reasons. According to the Prothom Alo report, a working woman with her income bought a smartphone for her husband, but her husband doesn't want his wife to use another smartphone. Besides, many women don't use smartphones and the internet thinking that they may be harassed sexually and mentally on social media.
Most of the women, who work in the readymade garment factories, use smartphones although they are not institutionally educated. On the contrary, the women, who don't work outside their house, don't feel encouraged to use smart phones and the internet although they are advanced in education.
Women and men are equal partners. The society cannot advance leaving behind any section of them. The financial ability of women has to be increased if their usage of smartphone and internet has to be increased. Simultaneously, their social obstacles have to be removed. One hundred years ago, Rabindranath had talked about providing rights to women to win their own fate. That right has to be established everywhere including in the state, family and society. Otherwise, the digital or smart Bangladesh declared by the government will remain in words only.