Barriers in usage of mobile phones by rural women Pahuja Swati1, Dr. Singh A.K.2 1Research Scholar, Department of Extension Education, Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi. Mobile: +91-9451894487 E-mail: swati07nov@gmail.com 2Professor, Department of Extension Education, Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi. Mobile No.: 9452032466 Email: singharun61@rediffmail.com Online published on 9 April, 2020. Abstract India is second most populous nation of the world and almost half of this huge population is women and therefore the fact cannot be denied that they are the most potential human infrastructure in the countryside and their participation and involvement in development process is quite essential. Although our constitution and many other acts have promoted gender equality but their status continue to be low. In fact rural women are more disadvantaged and disempowered than the urban women. So, in this context, the present paper will help in understanding the barriers faced by rural women in the usage of mobile phones, mostly lack of access, the high costs of handsets, socio-cultural barriers and connectivity issues and so on. These barriers are often exacerbated by extreme poverty and highly patriarchal social structures. But the high pace of mobile phone penetration allover the globe gives a ray of hope that these barriers will be soon removed and rural women will be a part of mainstream development. Top Keywords Rural women, Mobile phones, barriers. Top |