Digital Gender Inclusion: Qualitative Research Methods

This post explains how a new CBPR study protocol documented in PLOS One examines barriers to digital gender inclusion in Pakistan and what qualitative researchers can learn about faster, more rigorous analysis. The primary keyword is digital gender inclusion, and the audience is qualitative researchers, program designers, and NGOs who want practical methods and AI-enabled workflows to accelerate synthesis. The PLOS One protocol (Shahil-Feroz et al., 2026) centers community-based participatory research (CBPR), photo-elicitation, role-play, and co-design with roughly 36–45 participants to surface sociocultural barriers and co-create solutions in Azam Basti, Karachi.

Key Takeaways

According to PLOS One, the protocol proposes a three-phase CBPR study in Azam Basti using focus group discussions, 36–45 total participants, and three co-design workshops to identify and co-create solutions for digital gender inclusion.

The PLOS One protocol was published on August 20, 2026 and plans participant recruitment from August–November 2026 and data collection through April 2027, with results expected beginning in late 2027.
The PLOS One authors cite the GSMA Mobile Gender Gap report 2024 showing women in Pakistan were 38% less likely than men to own a mobile phone or access mobile internet in 2024.
PLOS One (Shahil-Feroz et al., 2026) highlights "deeply entrenched sociocultural barriers" as a central obstacle and recommends engaging family gatekeepers and community leaders in co-design.
The study received a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council grant of $70, 626 (2025 competition) as reported in PLOS One (Shahil-Feroz et al., 2026).

What happened and how the PLOS One protocol works

Answer: The PLOS One protocol describes a three-phase CBPR study that combines FGDs, in-depth interviews, and co-design workshops to investigate and address digital gender inclusion in a single low-income community.

PLOS One (Shahil-Feroz et al., 2026) explains Phase 1 will form a Community Advisory Committee (CAC) with community leaders, marginalized women, and family gatekeepers to co-lead the project and convene three 90–120 minute sessions.

PLOS One (Shahil-Feroz et al., 2026) states Phase 2 will run two FGDs per participant group (4–5 people each) and 4–5 in-depth interviews per group, with a total sample of about 36–45 participants, using photo-elicitation for women and role-play for gatekeepers.

PLOS One (Shahil-Feroz et al., 2026) details Phase 3 as three co-design workshops with 8–10 participants each to build and refine 2–3 community-informed strategies, and the investigators will use Braun and Clarke’s reflexive thematic analysis supported by NVivo for coding.

Findings Snapshot

Date / Source	Metric	Value	Implication
Global Gender Gap Index 2024 / PLOS One	Pakistan ranking	145 of 146 countries	Indicates severe gender disparities that contextualize digital exclusion
GSMA Mobile Gender Gap report 2024 / GSMA Mobile Gender Gap report 2024	Mobile access gap	Women 38% less likely than men to own/access mobile internet (2024)	Quantifies device and connectivity inequality for program targeting
PLOS One protocol (published Aug 20, 2026)	Study funding	$70, 626 (SSHRC, 2025 competition)	Funds a two-year CBPR project starting Feb 2026
PLOS One protocol (Shahil-Feroz et al., 2026)	Sample planned	Approximately 36–45 participants across FGDs/interviews	Enables reflexive thematic analysis and co-design insights

Implications for qualitative researchers and program teams

Answer: The PLOS One protocol shows that combining CBPR with participatory visual and role-play methods yields more actionable, community-owned strategies for digital gender inclusion.

PLOS One (Shahil-Feroz et al., 2026) demonstrates that engaging family gatekeepers (male partners, brothers, elderly women) in role-play and co-design moves beyond awareness campaigns and targets the household-level norms that constrain women's mobile access.

PLOS One (Shahil-Feroz et al., 2026) indicates the study will translate findings into stakeholder reports and policy briefs for agencies such as the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority and the Ministry of Information Technology, which means researchers should plan dissemination pathways from day one.

The United Nations defines digital inclusion as "equitable, meaningful, and safe access to use, lead, and design of digital technologies, services, and associated opportunities for everyone, everywhere" according to United Nations, and researchers should measure outcomes that map to those dimensions.

How Evidano helps: problem-to-feature mappings

About Evidano

Evidano is an AI-powered qualitative data analysis platform that helps researchers analyze interviews, open-ended surveys, and documents.

For a product overview see Evidano Features.

Problem: Multi-language transcripts and translations

Solution: Evidano offers integrated transcription and translation with custom dictionaries and PII redaction to convert Urdu and Sindhi interviews into coded English transcripts for analysis.

This matches the PLOS One workflow where FGDs and interviews are transcribed in Urdu and then translated into English prior to thematic coding as described in PLOS One (Shahil-Feroz et al., 2026).

Problem: Slow reflexive thematic coding across 36–45 transcripts

Solution: Evidano automates initial thematic extraction, frequency counts, and co-occurrence networks so researchers can focus human time on reflexive interpretation and CAC validation.

PLOS One (Shahil-Feroz et al., 2026) plans to use Braun and Clarke’s reflexive thematic analysis; Evidano accelerates the familiarization and coding stages while preserving manual, researcher-led theme refinement.

Problem: Cross-segment comparison (women, gatekeepers, leaders)

Solution: Evidano provides cross-segment dashboards and hierarchical code visualizations so teams can compare themes by participant group and feed those comparisons directly into co-design workshops.

PLOS One (Shahil-Feroz et al., 2026) emphasizes comparative analysis across participant groups; Evidano’s cross-segment tools operationalize that recommendation for faster iteration.

Problem: Organizing visual and arts-based data from photo-elicitation and role-play

Solution: Evidano ingests images and annotated notes and links them to coded excerpts so visual triggers used in FGDs are traceable through analysis and reporting.

PLOS One (Shahil-Feroz et al., 2026) uses photo-elicitation and role-play; Evidano preserves the link between visual prompts and participant interpretations for audit trails and knowledge mobilization products.

FAQ: digital gender inclusion qualitative research

What qualitative methods will the PLOS One study use to explore women's digital exclusion?

Answer: The PLOS One protocol will use community advisory committees, photo-elicitation FGDs, role-play FGDs for gatekeepers, and in-depth interviews followed by co-design workshops.

PLOS One (Shahil-Feroz et al., 2026) specifies two FGDs per participant group, 4–5 interviews per group, and three co-design workshops to move from discovery to solution design.

How can AI speed thematic analysis without replacing reflexive interpretation?

Answer: AI can automate transcription, produce initial code suggestions, and surface frequency and co-occurrence patterns while researchers retain final theme selection and reflexive interpretation.

PLOS One (Shahil-Feroz et al., 2026) recommends reflexive thematic analysis; tools such as Evidano accelerate the coding pipeline but preserve researcher-led theme development and CAC validation.

Will involving family gatekeepers change deeply entrenched norms identified by PLOS One?

Answer: Engaging gatekeepers and leaders during co-design increases the likelihood of community buy-in, but PLOS One (Shahil-Feroz et al., 2026) cautions that changing norms requires sustained engagement beyond a single project.

PLOS One (Shahil-Feroz et al., 2026) positions co-design with gatekeepers as a shift from awareness-only approaches toward household-level norm change.

What ethical safeguards are in place for this research?

Answer: The PLOS One protocol includes ethics approvals from Western University NMREB, Aga Khan University, and Pakistan’s National Bioethics Committee, with written informed consent in Urdu and thumbprint options for non-literate participants.

PLOS One (Shahil-Feroz et al., 2026) details consent procedures, confidentiality limits in groups, and compensation of PKR 4500 (approximately 16 USD) for CAC members across sessions.

Conclusion & Next Steps

The PLOS One protocol (Shahil-Feroz et al., 2026) shows that combining CBPR, photo-elicitation, role-play, and co-design can surface household-level norms that block digital gender inclusion and produce community-owned solutions.

Qualitative teams and funders should plan transcription, multi-language translation, and cross-segment synthesis from project inception to ensure timely policy-relevant outputs as recommended in PLOS One (Shahil-Feroz et al., 2026).

If you run qualitative studies that include multi-language transcripts, visual data, and co-design outputs, consider an AI-enabled workflow to speed coding and reporting: see Evidano Features and Try Evidano for free.

Topics

digital gender inclusion
qualitative research Pakistan
AI qualitative analysis
participatory co-design

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