Unveiling disparities: exploring the gender gap in digital literacy among faculty in a higher educational medical institute (DIGI-GAP), a mixed-methods study

Digital literacy is increasingly integral to medical education, yet gender disparities may affect faculty engagement. This exploratory study examined gender-based differences in digital literacy among non-clinical faculty at a premier Indian medical institution, aiming to identify disparities and inform targeted interventions.

A mixed-methods exploratory design was employed, integrating a structured online survey and in-depth semi-structured interviews. The questionnaire, developed specifically for this study after reviewing existing instruments, measured self-reported digital skills, usage frequency, and confidence levels. The survey was distributed to 64 purposively sampled non-clinical faculty. The interviews (conducted among eight faculty members) explored contextual barriers and enablers. Data were collected between March 2024 and January 2025. Chi-square (or Fisher’s exact test where applicable) tests assessed gender-based differences (significance: p < 0.05).

Of twenty-six faculty who responded to the survey (response rate 40.6%), 53.8% were women and 46.2% men. Over 85% reported more than 11 years of experience with computers, smartphones, and the internet; men reported longer cumulative usage. Most described moderate overall digital literacy. All participants (100%) were confident in basic digital skills; however, women reported significantly lower confidence in advanced tasks, and 31% felt behind peers in digital competencies (p = 0.02). Most faculty wished to acquire further digital skills. Qualitative findings revealed that societal expectations, time constraints, and gendered task-delegation patterns may disproportionately limit women’s engagement in our setting. Men were more frequently assigned digital responsibilities. Younger faculty showed higher engagement irrespective of gender. Despite equitable institutional access to tools and training, disparities in participation and confidence persisted.

The gender gap in digital literacy appears to be driven primarily by differences in confidence, perception, and socio-cultural expectations rather than access inequalities in our context. The preliminary findings suggest that gender-responsive training, mentorship, revised task-delegation practices, and institutional policy reforms may help promote equitable faculty participation in the digital academic environment. Since this is a single-site exploratory study, larger studies with more sample size and multiple contexts are needed to confirm and generalize these findings.

Registered with the Clinical Trials Registry – India. Registration number: CTRI/2024/11/076904 (Ref. No. REF/2024/11/094394) [Registered on: 18/11/2024].