UPI is booming but many women still left behind, finds study
A study by the NGO Yugantar reveals that despite the widespread availability of digital payment technology in India, many women in low-income households struggle to use UPI due to social norms and lack of confidence. The research highlights that access to hardware does not guarantee digital financial inclusion.
Why it matters
It underscores the digital divide and the social barriers preventing equitable access to financial technology in developing economies.
A ₹2 sachet of betel nuts or a ₹10 cup of piping-hot tea can be paid for digitally at Pujari Lakshmi’s tea stall on Hyderabad’s busy and upscale Jubilee Hills Road No. 10. A UPI QR code is prominently displayed at her stall, but Ms. Pujari herself does not know how to use it.
She keeps her broken smartphone on a stand next to the gas stove, its screen held in place by two rubber bands. A UPI app is installed on the phone, but when she has to make a digital payment, it is her husband, Pujari Srinivas, or her children who handle the transaction using her UPI ID.
“Who doesn’t have a bank account and a smartphone these days? But I don’t know how to use UPI apps. What if the money goes to the wrong account,” she asks in Telugu, as she pours tea for her customers.
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