Unveiling Disparities: Exploring the Gender Gap in Digital Literacy amongst Faculty in Higher Educational Medical Institute, a mixed methods study.

Background

Digital literacy is an essential skill in the contemporary educational landscape, as technology becomes increasingly integrated into teaching and learning processes. Digital literacy includes “both the skills to functionally be able to use the Internet and digital technology, as well as the knowledge of how to do so safely, securely and with trusted information and protected data[i] Gender disparity in digital literacy, has garnered significant attention as technology continues to shape academic environments. Many reports have highlighted the gender inequality issues in higher education institutes (HEI). These issues can be related to unequal access or fewer resources and opportunities available to women. An actual or perceived oppression to disallow women members to more advanced features of teaching and training modalities has been seen especially in HEI. It is more challenging for women to succeed in their careers both within and outside academia following their studies. Over the last decade digital and online learning use has boomeranged due to various factors. Do women feel oppressed in accessing this mode of teaching either as a tool for personal advancement (self-learning and research) for knowledge dissemination during pedagogy, or for use during clinical practice? This would be an interesting perception to explore in both genders in HEI imparting both medical education and tertiary-level clinical care.

Review of literature-

The study aims to explore digital literacy keeping the feminist theory as a focus. It aims to seek insights into how gender and technology are intertwined in the digital age.

Digital literacy encompasses a range of skills, from basic computer and smartphone operations to the ability to critically evaluate online information, create digital content, and engage in online collaboration. These skills are integral to modern pedagogy and research.  ICT integration in the digitalisation of the teaching-learning process during the pandemic brought to light the weaknesses of some teachers. The migration of training activities to virtual distance learning environments caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in higher education has meant that professors have had to modify their ICT usage habits in several ways. It is reasonable that gender is an influential variable in regions that suffer from a strong gender gap in terms of access to and use of digital technologies[ii]. Research suggests that gender disparities exist in digital literacy, affecting teaching faculty in academic settings. Women may receive less training and support in technology-related areas, potentially leading to disparities in digital literacy[iii]  For women in developing countries, the Internet has real potential to mitigate or even remove the barriers that have precluded them from participating more fully in digital society[iv]. Within Asia-Pacific, India had the widest gender gap in internet usage in recent years, a gender gap of 40.4 per cent with only 15 per cent of women accessing the internet versus 25 per cent of men[v]. The digital divide, both in terms of access and skills, disproportionately affects women in underserved communities[vi].  This disparity can extend to teaching faculty from diverse backgrounds. Studies show that women often have less access to digital technologies, including smartphones, personal computers and high-speed internet connections. Economic constraints, cultural norms, and unequal distribution of resources can limit women’s access to technology. This lack of access can hinder their ability to develop digital literacy skills[vii]. Gender stereotypes and perceptions can influence how individuals approach technology. Women not only use the Internet less than men but also use and develop fewer software applications. This is especially worrisome since this means that women are not contributing as they should shape digital means and build a digital future that accounts for women’s needs and requirements [viii]. Stereotypes that associate technology and digital skills with males may discourage girls and women from pursuing or developing proficiency in these areas. The underestimation of women in terms of digital literacy can serve as a discouraging factor for girls and women considering careers in technology-based fields. Women may perceive technology-related fields as less welcoming, leading to reduced confidence and engagement[ix]. Gender disparities in the workplace, Access to training programs and opportunities for skill development may be unevenly distributed between genders. Medical Institutes often have specific technology requirements for faculty, including the use of electronic health records and simulation technologies. Gender disparities in digital literacy may have unique implications in this context [x]. Gender disparities in leadership positions within Medical Institutes can influence digital literacy training and decision-making processes related to technology integration [xi]. While there is a growing body of literature on gender disparities in digital literacy, but, the area of gender disparity in digital literacy among teaching faculty of medical institutes is unexplored. For this reason, the literature expresses the need to increase the number of investigations about the gender gap in digital literacy among the medical faculties in the region of India. Understanding the unique challenges and opportunities in this context is crucial for promoting gender equality in digital literacy skills.

Aim

To Evaluate the perception of gender inequality in digital literacy and the use of digital techniques amongst non-clinical faculty in a Medical Educational Institute.

Objectives

Primary Objective

Does female gender feel that they are given less opportunity to use online/digital techniques for teaching and research?

Secondary Objectives

·      Are there any interventions possible to overcome this bias?

·      If yes, what kind of interventions can be planned to overcome this bias?

·      What is the perception of male faculty members about unequal digital literacy levels due to gender?

Methodology-

Study Design: Mixed-methods observational study both quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis methods.

**Study Setting:**All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India.

Timeline: Study duration is from January 2024 to December 2024.

**Study population:**The study population will consist of of Non-clinicalFaculty members in the Institute belonging to female and male gender. The non-clinical faculty teaching pre and para-medical subjects such as Anatomy, Biochemistry, Physiology, Pharmacology, Pathology, and Microbiology since non-clinical faculty are using more digital resources for teaching undergraduate and postgraduate students.

Sample size: Initially sample size will be 24 for the survey. The sample size will be increased or decreased based on survey responses and selected participants for in-depth interviews.

Sampling Strategy: Purposive sampling as, at AIIMS, New Delhi, a hierarchical level exists in faculty positions. We aim to include three faculty members of each gender within each level. The faculty members will be asked to participate in the survey and in-depth interviews.

Inclusion criteria

1.  Non-clinical medical faculty members (teaching pre and para medical subjects)

2.  Participants who were assigned male or female gender at birth.

Exclusion criteria

1.   Unwilling to disclose personal gender.

2.   Diverse gender

3.  Not involved in teaching-training and research activities with medical students in the Institute.

Data collection:

The study will be done in two phases-

Phase 1:

An online survey with a brief information sheet regarding the project particulars will be shared with all non-clinical faculty members through email. Willingness to participate in the study will be enquired in the survey itself.

Faculty members who agree to take part in the study will be asked to digitally sign a consent form. After consent, they will be directed to the next section of the survey where the questions regarding their demographic and professional experience will begin.

The faculty members who are not willing to participate in the survey will be directed to the end of the survey where their survey will end.

The survey will include questions on demographics, digital literacy skills, and attitudes towards technology in teaching.

The survey will also include questions related to appropriate interventions that may help with gender inequality.

After receiving responses from all teaching faculty members, responses will be analyzed based on which the participants will be invited for in-depth interviews.

 **Phase 2:**In-depth Interviews

-       Semi-structured interviews will be conducted with participants.

-       A purposive sampling strategy will be employed to select interview participants.

-       Informed consent will be obtained from participants before conducting interviews.

-       Interviews will be audio-recorded and transcribed for analysis.

-       Interviews will explore participants’ experiences, challenges, and strategies related to digital literacy.

The in-depth interviews will be conducted by project research staff having a background and experience in conducting qualitative research studies.

 Data Analysis:

Quantitative Data:

• Survey data will be analyzed using statistical software (e.g., SPSS).

• Descriptive statistics (mean, median, standard deviation) will be computed.

• Inferential statistics (t-tests, chi-square tests) will be used to identify significant gender disparities.

 Qualitative Data:

• Interview data will be analyzed using thematic analysis.

• Transcripts will be coded for emerging themes and patterns.

• Themes related to gender disparity in digital literacy will be identified.

Reporting-

Participants will be informed about the study’s purpose and their rights. Survey responses and interview data will be kept confidential. Personal identifiers will be removed, or pseudonyms used in reporting findings.

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[i]  Tyers A, and Banyan Global, (2020)USAID Gender digital divide desk reviewreport. Available at https://www.marketlinks.org/ weege-wiki/gdd-desk-review report

[ii] Vergara, D., Antón-Sancho, Á., & Fernández-Arias, P. (2023). Gender gaps in the impact of the pandemic on the use of ICT in higher education. Review of Education, 11, e3439. https://doi.org/10.1002/rev3.3439

[iii] Katz, S., Allbritton, D., Aronis, J., Wilson, C., & Soffa, M. L. (2006). Gender, achievement, and persistence in an undergraduate computer science program. ACM SIGMIS Database: the DATABASE for Advances in Information Systems, 37(4), 42-57.

[iv] Antonio A, Tuffley D. The Gender Digital Divide in Developing Countries. Future Internet. 2014; 6(4):673-687. https://doi.org/10.3390/fi6040673

[v] Observer research foundation (2021) India’s gendered digital divide: How the absence of digital access is leaving women behind. available at https://www.orfonline.org/expert-speak/indias-gendered-digital-divide

[vi] Warschauer, M. (2004). Technology and social inclusion: Rethinking the digital divide. MIT press.

[vii] Cheryan, S., Ziegler, S. A., Montoya, A. K., & Jiang, L. (2017). Why are some STEM fields more gender balanced than others? Psychological Bulletin, 143(1), 1–35. https://doi.org/10.1037/bul0000052

[viii] OECD (2019) THE ROLE OF EDUCATION AND SKILLS IN BRIDGING THE DIGITAL GENDER DIVIDE EVIDENCE FROM APEC ECONOMIES available at https://www.oecd.org/sti/education-and-skills-in-bridging-the-digital-gender-divide-evidence-from-apec.pdf

[ix] Cheryan, S., Ziegler, S. A., Montoya, A. K., & Jiang, L. (2017). Why are some STEM fields more gender balanced than others? Psychological Bulletin, 143(1), 1–35. https://doi.org/10.1037/bul0000052

[x] Pimmer, C., Chipps, J., Brysiewicz, P., Walters, F., Linxen, S., & Gröhbiel, U. (2016). Supervision on social media: Use and perception of facebook as a research education tool in disadvantaged areas. International review of research in open and distributed learning, 17(5), 200-214.

[xi] Abdellatif W, Ding J, Jalal S, Chopra S, Butler J, Ali IT, Shah S, Khosa F. Leadership Gender Disparity Within Research-Intensive Medical Schools: A Transcontinental Thematic Analysis. J Contin Educ Health Prof. 2019 Fall;39(4):243-250.