Business
1.7 bn women in emerging economies do not own mobile phones'
New Delhi, March 3
Over 1.7 billion females in
low-and middle-income countries do not own mobile phones and women on
average are 14 percent less likely to own a mobile phone than men --
creating a gender gap of 200 million fewer women than men owning mobile
phones, a report said here on Tuesday.
"In particular, women in
South Asia are 38 percent less likely to own a phone than men,
highlighting that the gender gap in mobile phone ownership is wider in
certain parts of the world,†the report 'Bridging the Gender Gap: Mobile
Access and Usage in Low- and Middle-income Countries' released by GSM
Association (GSMA) said.
"The ubiquity and affordability of
mobile presents us with the unprecedented opportunity to improve and
enhance social and economic development; however, as our study shows,
women in particular tend to be left behind as owners of mobile phones
and as consumers of mobile services," Anne Bouverot, director general of
GSMA said.
"By addressing the gender gap in mobile phone
ownership and use, we will deliver substantial benefits for women, the
mobile industry and the broader economy," she added.
The report
said the top five barriers to women owning and using mobile phones from a
customer perspective are cost; network quality and coverage; security
and harassment via mobile; operator or agent trust; and technical
literacy and confidence issues.
Social norms and disparities
between men and women in terms of education and income influence women's
access to and use of mobile technology, and often contribute to women
experiencing barriers to mobile phone ownership and use more acutely
than men.
The report builds on the findings from the 'Women and
Mobile: A Global Opportunity' report launched in 2010, which first
highlighted the disparity in mobile phone ownership between men and
women in low- and middle-income countries.
The study also finds
that despite the progress that has been made, women continue to be left
behind and challenges remain in ensuring that women are included in an
increasingly connected and internet-enabled world.
Of the
thousands of women interviewed in this report across 11 countries,
including both mobile phone owners and non-owners at least 89 percent
said mobile phones help or would help them stay in touch with friends
and family.
The report found that achieving parity in ownership
and use between men and women in low- and middle-income countries could
bring socio-economic benefits, such as the availability of new education
and employment opportunities,to an additional 200 million women; unlock
an estimated $170 billion market opportunity for the mobile industry by
2020 and deliver a positive economic contribution to society.