Digital divide and marginalized women during COVID-19: a study of women recently released from prison

ABSTRACT

The COVID-19 pandemic has underscored the urgency to bridge the digital divide, as those without reliable internet, adequate devices, and digital literacy skills were severely disadvantaged when most essential activities moved online. This study examines how the pandemic has affected women recently released from jail or prison, a group that was already at a disadvantage in terms of digital access and skills even before the pandemic. Our interviews with 45 women in transition show that their lack of stable access to the internet and digital devices during the pandemic influenced their post-incarceration supervision requirements, job applications, educational opportunities, and others. These women navigated the challenges by working with their social connections (e.g., friends and neighbors) and relying on emergency resources deployed by local institutions during the pandemic. Those staying in transitional houses before being fully released into communities indicated that they often depended on facility staff or family/friends in the community for pandemic-related information due to their limited access to the internet in those facilities. These and other findings from this research provide insights into the technological challenges and needs of marginalized women during the public health crisis.

KEYWORDS:

• Digital divide
• technology
• women in transition
• pandemic
• COVID-19

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 Zoom was used only for four participants residing at a transitional house at the time of the interview. A staff member at the transitional house helped arrange a Zoom session between the researcher and the interviewee.

2 Per university IRB guidelines on vulnerable populations, the names of the cities are not disclosed to protect privacy of the study participants. The stay-at-home order in each city was put in place in March 2020 and lifted in May 2021. During the interview period, public school classes were offered online and businesses also largely operated online.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by National Science Foundation: [Grant Number 1907002].

Notes on contributors

Matt Blomberg

Matthew Blomberg is a Doctoral Candidate at the University of Kansas and Graduate Research Assistant for a National Science Foundation funded project that promotes digital pedagogy for women recently released from prison. His research topics include news and source credibility, misinformation among vulnerable populations, and the cognitive decisions behind trust of media. Matthew comes from a background in journalism having worked in news stations in Austin, Texas and in Topeka, Kansas and has also produced a number of short films and documentaries and short films. In addition to the news, Matt has served in public relations and marketing entities throughout Kansas. He earned his Master of Science degree in Journalism and Mass Communications from Kansas State University and studied radio-television and film as an undergraduate student at the University of Texas.

Darcey Altschwager

Darcey Altschwager earned a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree from the University of Kansas William Allen White School of Journalism and Mass Communications. While pursuing her Ph.D. in journalism and mass communications, she serves as a graduate research assistant under a grant award from the National Science Foundation in support of offering technology education to women who have been recently released from jail or prison and are now seeking to reenter the job force (‘returning women citizens’). In her role she works closely with program participants through instructing the digital literacy classes, assisting with curriculum development and research activities.

Hyunjin Seo

Hyunjin Seo, PhD., is Oscar Stauffer Professor in the William Allen White School of Journalism and Mass Communications at the University of Kansas as well as the founding director of the KU Centre for Digital Inclusion. She is also a faculty associate at the Berkman Klein Centre for Internet & Society, Harvard University where she was a resident fellow from fall 2018 to summer 2019. Her research focuses on identifying emerging properties of networked communication and understanding their implications for social change, collective action and civic engagement. She is the author of Networked Collective Actions: The Making of an Impeachment (Oxford University Press), which examines intricate relationships between social institutions and agents during South Korean protests directed at political changes. Recently, she has also focused on community-based projects offering technology education including online privacy and security to marginalized populations. She is the Principal Investigator on a National Science Foundation-funded project aimed at supporting women recently released from jail or prison in learning digital skills relevant for their reentry. She has published over 50 peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters in the areas of digital media, collective action, and civic engagements.

Ellie Booton

Ellie Booton is a senior undergraduate research assistant at the University of Kansas and participant in the Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program hosted by the National Science Foundation. Her research interests include digital inclusion, social media, and political misinformation.

Maxine Nwachukwu

Maxine Nwachukwu is a recipient of the Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Program. She is a senior undergraduate student at the University of Kansas majoring in Strategic Communications with minors in Business and Film & Media Studies.