Kenyan Women lagging behind in mobile adoption

Kenyan women lag behind their male counterparts in mobile adoption. The gap is attributed to lower financial independence and education which can inhibit women’s access to and usage of mobile phones. According to a report by global telecommunication association lobby, GSMA, Kenyan women slightly fall behind the country’s fast growing mobile technology ecosystem.

“Kenya has a unique subscriber penetration and a small gender gap in mobile ownership of seven per cent with the gender gap much higher among poorer households at 16 per cent,” said the report.

The GSMA, however, say Kenya’s gender gap is smaller compared to other countries surveyed in the index.

“Kenya’s small gender gap in mobile phone ownership is due to the success of mobile money, providing women and their families with a clear value proposition for having a mobile phone,” notes the report.

GSMA Director General Anne Bouverot said affordability of mobile devices presents them with the opportunity to improve their socio-economic development. The report also found out that women are less likely to use mobile Internet, especially among the less educated, with only 33 per cent of them reporting use of mobile Internet against 52 per cent of men.