Women & Mobile: A Global Opportunity

Mobile phone ownership in low and middle-income countries has skyrocketed in the past several years. But a woman is still 21% less likely to own a mobile phone than a man. This figure increases to 23% if she lives in in Africa, 24% if she lives in the Middle East, and 37% if she lives in South Asia. Closing this gender gap would bring the benefits of mobile phones to an additional 300 million women. By extending the benefits of mobile phone ownership to more women, a host of social and economic goals can be advanced.

This case study by GSMA, Cherie Blair Foundation for Women, and Vital Wave Consulting was contributed as a resource for the SHOPS mHealth eConference held May 5-6, 2010.