Episode 6

With our research, we wanted to especially focus on two questions with regard to gender: do women face different challenges to men in obtaining and formalizing their identity?  And secondly, once they do have access to "an identity" — does it empower them in some way to ameliorate unequal gender dynamics? 

Episode 6 Articles

How identity systems influence complex gender realities

How identity systems influence complex gender realities

"It was important to us from the beginning of this project that we considered as many as possible, if not all, important factors at play in the discussion of identity. Gender is key amongst them, even if it is a many-dimensional element. It conditions relationships and interactions that people may have with others in a society, often to an extreme degree."

Do identity systems work for women? How social relations trump technological systems.

Do identity systems work for women? How social relations trump technological systems.

"Something we’ve found during our research is that, contrary to what we’d hoped, the implementation of new identity systems often places users in tricky situations which reinforce traditional forms of patriarchy. Achieving the right balance between collecting information that is required for a successful transaction and doing it in a way that satisfies both parties is not always easy."

What we’ve learnt about identities over the past six months

What we’ve learnt about identities over the past six months

"Over the last six months, our research team has spoken to hundreds of people whose lives are being directly affected by the implementation and use of identity cards in India. As we wind towards the final report, we thought our readers might benefit from a look into the minds of the researchers who have been the first point of contact on the ground. What have they learnt from this process?"