Archive · 19 Aug 2026
Study Finds Technical and Social Barriers to Women’s UPI Adoption
UPI lets people send and receive money using digital payments.
A study found that many low-income women still have trouble using it.
Some women face phone problems, especially when they use feature phones.
Others have limited reading skills or do not have their own smartphones.
In some families, male relatives control payment apps and PINs.
Some women also worry about fraud or losing control of their money.
Training helped many women use UPI more often.
The researchers said women need continued help, not just a single training session.
A Yugantar study found technical problems, family control and fraud fears limit low-income women’s UPI use.
Hands-on training increased active UPI use among participants from about 19% to nearly 56%.
More than 40,000 women across Telangana and Andhra Pradesh received training through the Digital Budget Rani initiative.
Over 95% of successful onboardings involved younger, literate women who owned smartphones.
Researchers recommended ongoing support beyond one-time training, especially for migrants, informal workers and women with limited literacy.
- Who
- Hyderabad-based NGO Yugantar studied UPI adoption among women, with researchers Zoe Kennedy-Hughes, Sivani Kasinathuni and Navika Harshe.
- What
- The study evaluated women’s use of UPI and identified technical, household and trust-related barriers.
- When
- The articles do not specify when the study was conducted.
- Where
- The study covered Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, with examples from Hyderabad.
- Why
- Researchers sought to understand why women from vulnerable and low-income communities were not gaining equal access to digital financial services.
Digital Inclusion Supporters
Digital Finance Skeptics
Benefits of UPI
Digital Inclusion Supporters
UPI can help women retain control over their earnings and access money for household needs, while training can substantially increase active use.
Digital Finance Skeptics
Some women prefer cash because they fear unauthorised transactions, digital fraud or losing financial control within their households.
Role of Training
Digital Inclusion Supporters
Hands-on training improved adoption, suggesting that practical instruction can help women overcome unfamiliarity with digital payments.
Digital Finance Skeptics
One-time training may not be enough for women with limited literacy, weak banking integration, limited technology access or difficulty understanding the process.
Access to Technology
Digital Inclusion Supporters
Voice-based services such as 123PAY IVR are intended to expand digital payment access beyond smartphone users.
Digital Finance Skeptics
Feature phone users encountered technical bottlenecks, including difficulties entering verification codes during live calls, making onboarding difficult or impossible.
- Training reach
- More than 40,000 women across Telangana and Andhra Pradesh were trained.
- UPI usage before training
- Active usage among participants was about 19%.
- UPI usage after training
- Active usage rose to nearly 56% after training.
- Onboarding pattern
- More than 95% of successful onboardings involved younger, literate smartphone owners.
- Family objections
- Among women who declined training, 58% cited objections from family members.
- Identified user groups
- The study identified smartphone users, women facing structural barriers and women who deliberately rejected UPI.