This post explains the PLOS ONE study protocol titled "Why are women not online? " and shows how AI-enabled qualitative research methods accelerate thematic synthesis, stakeholder engagement, and co-design for digital gender inclusion. The primary keyword is qualitative analysis of digital gender exclusion, and the audience is qualitative researchers, NGOs, and digital inclusion program designers. According to PLOS ONE, the protocol uses community-based participatory research, photo-elicitation, role-play, and reflexive thematic analysis to explore barriers in Azam Basti, Karachi; we then map practical AI workflows for faster transcription, translation, coding, and cross-segment analysis.
Key Takeaways
According to PLOS ONE, the study protocol will use community-based participatory research, photo-elicitation, role-play, and reflexive thematic analysis to co-design local strategies that address why marginalized women in Azam Basti, Karachi, lack meaningful digital access. The PLOS ONE authors argue that "deeply entrenched sociocultural barriers" shape access and that the UN definition of digital inclusion is "equitable, meaningful, and safe access to use, lead, and design of digital technologies, services, and associated opportunities for everyone, everywhere."
- The PLOS ONE protocol plans a total sample of approximately 36–45 participants across focus groups, interviews, and co-design activities, with recruitment scheduled to begin in August 2026 and data collection completed by April 2027 (study timeline, PLOS ONE).
- According to the PLOS ONE background, Pakistan ranked 145 out of 146 in the Global Gender Gap Index in 2024, and the GSMA Mobile Gender Gap Report 2024 found women in Pakistan were 38% less likely than men to own or use mobile internet (GSMA, 2024).
- The PLOS ONE protocol reports PTA survey findings that in 2024, 16% of female respondents and 23% of male respondents believed women should not use mobile phones at all (Pakistan Telecommunication Authority, 2024).
- The protocol will form a Community Advisory Committee with quarterly meetings and three 90–120 minute sessions, compensating CAC members PKR 4500 (about 16 USD) per set of activities (PLOS ONE methods).
What the PLOS ONE protocol does and how it is measured
Answer: The PLOS ONE protocol documents a three-phase qualitative study to map sociocultural drivers of women’s digital exclusion and co-design local solutions. According to PLOS ONE, Phase 1 establishes a Community Advisory Committee (CAC), Phase 2 conducts focus group discussions (FGDs) and 4–5 in-depth interviews per participant group, and Phase 3 runs co-design workshops to develop community-informed interventions.
According to PLOS ONE, the study is grounded in Judy Wajcman’s Technofeminism and uses Braun and Clarke’s reflexive thematic analysis; data will be collected in Urdu, transcribed, and translated into English, then coded independently by two researchers and validated with the CAC.
According to PLOS ONE, participatory methods include photo-elicitation for marginalized women and role-play for family gatekeepers and community leaders, with FGDs sized at 4–5 participants each and co-design workshops planned with 8–10 participants per session.
Findings Snapshot
| Date / Source | Metric | Value | Implication |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 / GSMA Mobile Gender Gap Report | Relative likelihood women vs men to own/access mobile internet in Pakistan | Women 38% less likely | Targets for interventions must address ownership and usage, not just literacy |
| 2024 / Global Gender Gap Index (WEF) | Pakistan rank | 145 of 146 | Structural gender inequality likely amplifies digital exclusion |
| 2024 / Pakistan Telecommunication Authority survey | Belief that women should not use mobile phones | 16% women, 23% men | Sociocultural norms include restrictions endorsed by both men and some women |
| Feb 2026–Jan 2028 / PLOS ONE study timeline | Project duration and key windows | Two-year project starting Feb 2026; recruitment Aug–Nov 2026; data by Apr 2027 | Provides a realistic calendar for piloting co-designed interventions in late 2027 |
Implications for qualitative researchers and digital inclusion programs
Answer: The PLOS ONE protocol implies that researchers must move beyond individual-level digital literacy programs to methods that engage household gatekeepers and community leaders. According to PLOS ONE, co-design with family gatekeepers is necessary because household decision-making constrains women’s access and because awareness campaigns alone are insufficient.
According to PLOS ONE, researchers should plan for multilingual fieldwork, as data collection will be in Urdu (and Sindhi where needed), with transcription and translation steps built into analysis to preserve nuance and ensure rigorous reflexive thematic coding.
According to PLOS ONE, using arts-based methods such as photo-elicitation and role play can surface sensitive norms and power relations, but ethical safeguards and careful facilitation are required because social desirability bias may influence responses.
How Evidano helps accelerate this kind of qualitative study
Problem: Multilingual transcription and slow translation
Answer: Transcription and translation are time consuming and introduce delays before coding can begin. Evidano is an AI-powered qualitative data analysis platform that helps researchers analyze interviews, open-ended surveys, and documents.
According to the PLOS ONE protocol, FGDs and interviews will be conducted in Urdu and sometimes Sindhi and then translated into English; using automated, secure transcription with a custom dictionary for Urdu terms and PII redaction speeds turnaround without sacrificing context. See Evidano speech-to-text for secure transcription workflows.
Problem: Manual thematic coding and cross-segment comparison
Answer: Manual coding of 36–45 participants across FGDs, interviews, and workshops is labor intensive and slows iterative co-design. According to PLOS ONE, the team will use reflexive thematic analysis and NVivo; Evidano complements that by automating initial code suggestions, frequency counts, and cross-segment matrices to show which themes appear in marginalized women versus gatekeepers.
According to PLOS ONE, the CAC will validate themes; Evidano supports collaborative review, hierarchical code → subcode views, and exportable audit trails that align with reflexive thematic practices. See Evidano features for thematic and co-analysis capabilities.
Problem: Visual and arts-based data (photo-elicitation, role-play)
Answer: Visual prompts and role-play produce multimodal data that is hard to index using text-only tools. According to PLOS ONE, the study includes non-identifying images and role-play transcripts; Evidano ingests transcripts and linked media, tags visual references, and surfaces co-occurrence networks to reveal how images trigger particular themes across participant groups.
According to PLOS ONE, the CAC will review images and guide interpretation; Evidano supports shared workspaces and comment threads so community advisors can validate analytic memos and co-design outputs in a secure environment.
FAQ: qualitative analysis of digital gender exclusion
What methods will the PLOS ONE study use to explore digital exclusion?
Answer: The PLOS ONE protocol will use a three-phase community-based participatory research design with a Community Advisory Committee, FGDs and in-depth interviews using photo-elicitation and role-play, and co-design workshops (PLOS ONE methods).
According to PLOS ONE, data will be transcribed in Urdu, translated to English, and analyzed with reflexive thematic analysis following Braun and Clarke, with two independent coders and NVivo used for organization and audit trails.
Why involve family gatekeepers in research on women's digital access?
Answer: The PLOS ONE authors argue that household gatekeepers shape technology access and that engaging them helps design sustainable norms-level interventions. According to PLOS ONE, gatekeepers include male partners, brothers, and elderly women who influence decisions and norms.
According to PLOS ONE, past studies show that men often control technology access due to concerns about content and social reputation, so co-design with gatekeepers can surface acceptable, community-led strategies.
How can AI tools preserve cultural nuance when translating and coding Urdu data?
Answer: Use bilingual pipelines with human-in-the-loop validation and custom dictionaries for local terms. According to PLOS ONE, transcripts will be translated by bilingual researchers and validated through CAC review; AI-assisted translation should therefore be paired with community validation to preserve meaning.
According to best practices, AI-enabled transcription and translation speed workflows but require reviewer checks for idioms and culturally loaded terms; Evidano supports custom dictionaries and human review checkpoints to enforce that practice.
When will results from the PLOS ONE project be available?
Answer: According to PLOS ONE, study results are expected beginning in late 2027 after data collection completes in April 2027 and analysis continues through early 2028.
According to PLOS ONE, the project timeline runs February 2026 to January 2028, with recruitment planned for August–November 2026 and co-design activities in late 2026 and early 2027.
Conclusion & Next Steps
The PLOS ONE protocol frames gender-based digital exclusion as a social and structural problem that requires co-designed, community-led solutions rather than only individual-level digital literacy campaigns. According to PLOS ONE, engaging family gatekeepers and community leaders alongside marginalized women creates opportunities to reshape household norms that restrict access.
Evidano’s AI-assisted transcription, multilingual translation, thematic coding, and collaborative review features map directly to the PLOS ONE workflow, enabling faster synthesis and clearer cross-segment comparisons for policy brief development. For teams preparing similar CBPR studies, begin by mapping languages, expected sample sizes (PLOS ONE plans ~36–45 participants), and ethical safeguards for group data.
If you want to pilot AI-accelerated qualitative analysis for a digital inclusion project, Try Evidano for free.
Topics
- qualitative analysis of digital gender exclusion
- digital gender inclusion Pakistan
- technofeminism qualitative methods
- CBPR digital inclusion
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