30, August 2025

From Access to Agency: Media Literacy and Digital Inclusion as Pathways to Empowerment in India

VOLUME-11; ISSUE-8; AUG-2025

Author(s): 1. Tanveer Ahmad Lone, 2. Sadiya Hamid Najar

Authors Affiliations:

  1. Ph.D, Research Scholar, Dept. Women Education, Maulana Azad National Urdu University, Hyderabad, 500032, India.
  2. Ph.D, Research Scholar, Dept. Mass Communication and Journalism, Maulana Azad National Urdu University, Hyderabad, 500032, India

DOIs:10.2015/IJIRMF/202508036     |     Paper ID: IJIRMF202508036


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Abstract:

This study examines the role of media literacy and digital inclusion in advancing women’s empowerment in India. The study tried to draw upon existing literature and analytical frameworks to explore how media literacy equips women with critical skills to access, evaluate, and create information that strengthens their agency, enhances their participation in public discourse, and expands their socio-economic opportunities. The analysis reveals that digital inclusion serves not only as a practical tool but also as a transformative process that enables women to overcome barriers in accessing resources, education, entrepreneurship, and civic engagement. Similarly, the study highlights various challenges, including the gendered digital divide, socio-cultural constraints, affordability issues, low digital literacy, and concerns related to online safety, which hinder women’s acquisition of media literacy and their participation in digital spaces. The findings of the present study recommend that addressing the persistent barriers through inclusive digital access and sustained efforts in media literacy education is essential for gender equality and women’s empowerment in the Indian context.

Media literacy, Women empowerment, Digital inclusion, Gender equality, India, Gender digital divide.

Tanveer Ahmad Lone,  Sadiya Hamid Najar (2025); From Access to Agency: Media Literacy and Digital Inclusion as Pathways to Empowerment in India, International Journal for Innovative Research in Multidisciplinary Field, ISSN(O): 2455-0620, Vol-11, Issue-8, Pp. 276-282.          Available on –   https://www.ijirmf.com/

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