The GSM Association and the Cherie Blair Foundation for Women, a charity that supports women entrepreneurs has published a report ‘Women and Mobile: A Global Opportunity’.
This is the first detailed global study of its kind that attempts to understand the nature of women mobile subscribers in low and middle-income countries such as Kenya and India.
Among the key findings, the report showed that:
- There are 300 million fewer female subscribers than male subscribers worldwide
- A woman in Africa is 23% less likely to own a phone than a man.
- Going forward, two thirds of potential new subscribers for mobile network operators will be women.
- Women in rural areas and lower income brackets stand to benefit the most from closing the gender gap.
- 93% of women report feeling safer because of their mobile phone.
- 85% of women report feeling more independent because of their mobile phone
- 41% of women report having increased income and professional opportunities once they own a phone
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