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Beyond Access: Negotiating Digital Autonomy

Mandowara, Disha LU (2026) EKHK18 20261
Department of Economic History
Abstract
This thesis investigates how socio-economic status shapes women’s negotiation of digital autonomy in urban Delhi. While India’s rapid digitalisation is often associated with empowerment and inclusion, significant gendered inequalities in digital access and use persist. Existing research has primarily focused on rural contexts and physical access to technology, paying less attention to how women negotiate digital autonomy within highly urbanised environments.

Using semi-structured interviews with women in Delhi, supplemented by quantitative data from the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5), the study explores how women
experience and negotiate digital restrictions in everyday life. The findings demonstrate that women’s digital... (More)
This thesis investigates how socio-economic status shapes women’s negotiation of digital autonomy in urban Delhi. While India’s rapid digitalisation is often associated with empowerment and inclusion, significant gendered inequalities in digital access and use persist. Existing research has primarily focused on rural contexts and physical access to technology, paying less attention to how women negotiate digital autonomy within highly urbanised environments.

Using semi-structured interviews with women in Delhi, supplemented by quantitative data from the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5), the study explores how women
experience and negotiate digital restrictions in everyday life. The findings demonstrate that women’s digital autonomy is often conditional rather than absolute, shaped by norms surrounding respectability, surveillance and domesticity. Participants from lower socio-economic backgrounds were more likely to experience overt forms of gatekeeping and limited privacy, while participants from higher socio-economic backgrounds frequently described more indirect forms of monitoring and self-regulation.

The study argues that socio-economic status does not determine whether women experience digital restrictions, but rather the degree of bargaining power and flexibility available to negotiate them. Consequently, the thesis demonstrates that digital access alone does not necessarily translate into meaningful digital autonomy within urban India. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Mandowara, Disha LU
supervisor
organization
course
EKHK18 20261
year
type
M2 - Bachelor Degree
subject
keywords
gender and technology, digital divide, digital autonomy, women’s agency, socio-economic status, urban India
language
English
id
9231693
date added to LUP
2026-09-07 13:53:52
date last changed
2026-09-07 13:53:52
@misc{9231693,
  abstract     = {{This thesis investigates how socio-economic status shapes women’s negotiation of digital autonomy in urban Delhi. While India’s rapid digitalisation is often associated with empowerment and inclusion, significant gendered inequalities in digital access and use persist. Existing research has primarily focused on rural contexts and physical access to technology, paying less attention to how women negotiate digital autonomy within highly urbanised environments.

Using semi-structured interviews with women in Delhi, supplemented by quantitative data from the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5), the study explores how women
experience and negotiate digital restrictions in everyday life. The findings demonstrate that women’s digital autonomy is often conditional rather than absolute, shaped by norms surrounding respectability, surveillance and domesticity. Participants from lower socio-economic backgrounds were more likely to experience overt forms of gatekeeping and limited privacy, while participants from higher socio-economic backgrounds frequently described more indirect forms of monitoring and self-regulation.

The study argues that socio-economic status does not determine whether women experience digital restrictions, but rather the degree of bargaining power and flexibility available to negotiate them. Consequently, the thesis demonstrates that digital access alone does not necessarily translate into meaningful digital autonomy within urban India.}},
  author       = {{Mandowara, Disha}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Beyond Access: Negotiating Digital Autonomy}},
  year         = {{2026}},
}