Digital Literacy as a right: Addressing gendered and structural barriers for minority girls in Pakistan
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.71085/sss.04.03.344Keywords:
Digital Literacy Equity, Minority Girls, Intersectionality, Capability Approach, Educational Exclusion, Gender and Technology, South AsiaAbstract
This study investigates the compounded digital literacy challenges faced by minority girls in Pakistan’s secondary schools. Adopting an intersectional and rights-based lens, it explores how overlapping factors like; gender, religion, ethnicity, and geographic marginality—interact to shape digital exclusion. A mixed-methods design was applied across 16 minority-serving schools in four provinces. Data were collected through student surveys (n=200), semi-structured interviews with educators (n=20), and ICT infrastructure assessments. Findings revealed low access to digital tools, inadequate teacher preparedness, and sociocultural restrictions on girls’ digital participation. Drawing on Crenshaw’s Intersectionality Theory and Sen’s Capability Approach, the study frames digital literacy as both a human right and a constrained capability. The paper calls for gender-responsive policies, inclusive teacher training, and community engagement strategies. This research offers novel empirical and theoretical insights to advance digital equity for marginalized girls in South Asia.
Downloads
References
Abiddin, N. Z. (2024). Empowering Communities: The Role of Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOS) In Education and Welfare Development in Malaysia. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.57239/PJLSS-2024-22.2.00604
Afzal, A., Khan, S., Daud, S., Ahmad, Z., & Butt, A. (2023). Addressing the digital divide: Access and use of technology in education. Journal of Social Sciences Review, 3(2), 883–895. https://doi.org/DOI: https://doi.org/10.54183/jssr.v3i2.326
Antoninis, M., Alcott, B., Al Hadheri, S., April, D., Fouad Barakat, B., Barrios Rivera, M., others, & Weill, E. (2023). Global Education Monitoring Report 2023: Technology in education: A tool on whose terms? https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000385723
Arif, A., Batool, H., & Asgher, S. (2024). Digital Literacy and Inclusive Growth: Examining Digital Empowerment of Female Students in Lahore. Journal of Economic Impact, 6(1), 81–93. https://doi.org/ 10.52223/econimpact.2024.6110
Aslam, H., Riaz, M., & Khan, U. (2023). Digital access and education: Evaluating infrastructure gaps in Pakistan’s rural schools. Educational Technology Review, 15(1), 98–112.
Barnes, K., Ashlee, A., Mukankusi, A., Pacitto, J., Rabi, A., Thomas, M., others, & Zhao, A. (2024). Education in times of restriction: an examination of refugee girls’ and young women’s access to learning during Covid-19 school closures in Pakistan. Educational Research for Policy and Practice, 23(1), 115–133. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10671-023-09353-4
Batool, H., Nasreen, S., & Arif, A. (2023). Digital Literacy and Inclusive Growth: Examining Digital Empowerment of Female Students in Lahore. https://ir.iba.edu.pk/esdcber/2023/program/10
Crenshaw, K. (1989). Demarginalizing the intersection of race and sex: A Black feminist critique of antidiscrimination doctrine, feminist theory, and antiracist politics. University of Chicago Legal Forum, 1989(1), 139–167.
Febro, J. D., Catindig, M. A. C., & Caparida, L. T. (2021). ICT literacy for marginalized girls and women’s empowerment. Asian Women, 37(1), 51–91.
for Girls Education, P. A. (2023). Pakistan Alliance for Girls Education (PAGE) celebrates winning the prestigious Unesco Prize for Girls’ and Women’s Education 2023. https://page.org.pk/pakistan-alliance-for-girls-education-page-celebrates-winning-the-prestigious-unesco-prize-for-girls-and-womens-education-2023/
Jabbar, A. (2022). Dark Clouds with Silver Linings: Use of Mobile Technology during COVID-19 among University Students. Journal of Development and Social Sciences, 3(2), 591-601.
Jamil, S. (2021). From digital divide to digital inclusion: Challenges for wide-ranging digitalization in Pakistan. Telecommunications Policy, 45(8), 102206.
Kabeer, N. (2016). Gender equality, economic growth, and women’s agency: the ``endless variety’’ and ``monotonous similarity’’ of patriarchal constraints. Feminist Economics, 22(1), 295–321.
Khan, A., Khan, F., Raineri, S., & Khurram, S. (2024). Next Generation: What We Know on Women and Girls.
Khurshid, A. (2024). Gender Equality and Inclusive Technology: Cultural Innovations for Sustainable Development in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Pakistan. Pakistan Journal of Gender Studies, 24(2), 107–123. https://socialsciencejournals.pjgs-ws.com/index.php/PJGS/article/view/794
Pasha, N. (2024). Diversity, inclusion, and belonging in digital coaching. The Digital and AI Coaches’ Handbook, 241–253. https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9781003383741-24/diversity-inclusion-belonging-digital-coaching-naeema-pasha
Rajam, V., Reddy, A. B., & Banerjee, S. (2021). Explaining caste-based digital divide in India. Telematics and Informatics, 65, 101719. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tele.2021.101719
Shah, P. (2023). AI and the Future of Education: Teaching in the Age of Artificial Intelligence. John Wiley & Sons.
Shaheed, F. (2023). Visit to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization: report of the Special Rapporteur on the Right to Education, Farida Shaheed. https://doi.org/https://coilink.org/ 20.500.12592/kh18frr
Siddiquee, M. S. H., & Islam, M. S. (2024). Factors determine the first and second level of digital divide in rural Bangladesh. SN Social Sciences, 4(10), 189. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s43545-024-00988-5
Unesco. (2021). Gender equality in and through education: A global strategy 2022--2029. https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000384657
Unesco. (2023). Education under attack: The impact of conflict on learning for girls in Myanmar. United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000384321
Women, U. N. (2022). Progress on the sustainable development goals: The gender snapshot 2022. (No Title). https://cir.nii.ac.jp/crid/1360302870941606144.
Downloads
Published
Data Availability Statement
The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
.png)
