Gender Differences in the Use and Challenges of Breakthrough Technology in Higher Education: Evidence from Punjab

This paper explores gender-based disparities in the utilization of and barriers to emerging technologies in higher education in Punjab (Pakistan). Emerging technologies including WhatsApp, Facebook, ChatGPT and MOOCs are being increasingly used in academic contexts, however, disparities in their usage and uptake are still a cause for concern. The significance of the study is to fill these gaps, especially in regions such as Punjab where both socioeconomic and infrastructural factors seem to have greater impact on female students as compared to male students. The key research questions are to gauge the effect of gender on technology student ratio and the barriers encountered when participating in MOOCs, to measure the contribution of MOOCs in the enhancement of skills, and to present an overview of the gender related challenges students face when choosing to switch to this new learning platform. A total of 150 students at five universities of Punjab were surveyed and the data was processed by Pearson’s correlation, ANOVA, and effect size analysis. The results indicate that gender hardly affects either the use of new technologies or the problems that this population suffers when adopting them. Male and female students were equally engaged with technology and encountered similar obstacles. The study suggests some investment into infrastructure, gender-sensitive policies, and institutional support to use technology based on these outcomes. It was recommended that socio-economic variables and institutions be investigated further in future studies. The findings of this research provide implications for educational policymakers, university administrators, and researchers on how to ensure equal opportunity in access to digital learning materials for all students, regardless of gender.