93 per cent of women feeling safer because of their mobile phone

The recent research from the mWomen campaign, supported by Nokia, discovered that there are strong links between women’s well being and access to a mobile phone. The report is the first global study of its kind. It endeavors to understand mobile usage by women subscribers in low and middle income countries and highlights the barriers facing women’s adoption of mobile technologies. It also shows that by extending the benefits of mobile phone ownership to women, a host of social and economic goals can be advanced. Yet, women are also 21% less likely than men even to own a mobile phone and therefore to have similar communication possibilities.



Key report findings
  • 93% of women reported feeling safer because of their mobile phone
  • 85% of women reported feeling more independent because of their mobile phone
  • 41% of women reported having increased income and professional opportunities once they owned a mobile phone
  • Women in rural areas and lower income brackets stand to benefit the most from closing the gender gap
  • Across all countries a woman is 21% less likely to own a mobile phone than a man. This figure increases to 23% if she lives in sub-Saharan Africa, 24% if she lives in the Middle East and 37% if she lives in South Asia
  • Over the next five years women could account for two-thirds of all new subscribers
Meanwhile, Uninor Hand in Hand Citizen Centres are a set of over 500 facilities across the Indian state of Tamil Nadu designed to allow female entrepreneurs to deliver information communication technology training and support to other women in their communities. This programme aims to empower local women with the skill set to improve their income generation and decision making processes.



Source: MWOMEN and Nokia