Mobile phones major catalyst for women empowerment, equality

The use of mobile telephones has made informal business by women more efficient and cost-effective. [iStockphoto]

In this era of technological revolution, Information Communication, and Technology (ICT) has become a panacea for most undertakings across the human divide and their day-to-day operations.

While the elite have access to a variety of technologies by use of complicated and costly gadgets, mobile phones have been easily accessible to all, including the poor and less educated in rural or urban settings. As it is, the evolution of mobile phones provides several technological functions in a variety of settings, which has made it possible for women in the informal business environment to transact businesses with ease.

In Kenya, mobile phones have several applications that ease financial transactions, and thus demystify the concept of formal banking. This has directly increased women's economic growth by enhancing not just financial access, but also its control. This is in line with the United Nations' fifth Sustainable Development Goal on the elimination of gender discrimination with a view of promoting inclusivity and equality.

Taking cognisance of the fact that women have been more discriminated against compared to their male counterparts, efforts have been directed towards increasing women's access to education, paid work, political representation and information and communication technologies. While women's empowerment is intrinsically important, the current discourse among facilitators of development, including governments, local and international NGOs appreciate that empowering women increases economic growth, improves children's health and education, decreases child mortality, improves organisational effectiveness of business and above all, increases productivity.

Empowerment of women is strategic to closing the gender gap while expediting achievement of the SDG No. 5 on equality and empowerment for women and girls. Any initiative that enhances women's active participation, access and control to means of production culminates in increased equal access to education, health care, decent work and most importantly, representation in all decision-making processes at all levels.

A study we conducted recently revealed that the utilisation of mobile phones has empowered women in the informal businesses to easily transact and expand their businesses and save time to attend to other roles. The study specifically focused on identifying the ways in which mobile phone functions support women in the informal business in rural and urban markets. The study participants were informal business women dealing in vegetables, grains and fruits in Gatundu, Githunguri, Ruiru, Thika and Madaraka Markets, all in Kiambu County.

The study established that the most common forms of mobile phone functions used by the selected women in support of business were, M-Pesa, M-Shwari, Pochi la Biashara, M-kopa, WhatsApp and Short Message Service (SMS). The use of mobile telephones made the informal business by women more efficient, cost-effective, and thus saved a lot of time while increasing their capital gains.

All the women narrated how they effectively used a mobile phone to purchase and make payments from distant localities. Further, the ease in the use of mobile phone applications enabled women to do e-banking. This enabled them to bank and transfer funds from one bank to another in the form of payments or savings. The loan services help the women to purchase supplies that strengthen and expand their businesses.

However, there still are some challenges that should be addressed in order to scale up women's economic empowerment through utilisation of mobile phones in the informal business. Key among the cited challenges were fear of online-frauds, which drains off savings without a trace, increasing state of poverty as well as low returns from the informal business, making it difficult to purchase the "touch screen" and more expensive mobile phones which are more efficient and easier to operate in accessing the needed functions.

Mobile phone operators should use women-friendly channels of communication to reach women in rural and urban areas with appropriate information on available mobile applications in support of their informal businesses. In particular, women in the study recommended the use of radios in their local languages and the relay of the information at calculated times when they are available to receive it. Equally recommended is the continuous upgrading of the mobile phone applications and also the creation of awareness to curb fraud or financial cybercrime.

Today, the world celebrates the International Women's Day, under the theme "DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality". To achieve true digital equality, communities need to appreciate and upscale access to and use of the mobile telephone technology, which has enabled the poor, among them women in small-scale informal businesses, to make ends meet.

The mobile phone technology has demystified the stereotypical perception that use of technology is a male reserve and that banking can only be done formally and by those with money. Further, financial transactions through mobile telephones, in itself has proved to be a high level of economic empowerment, having enabled women in informal businesses to manage finances in a safe and private space and also make decisions to save, take and repay loans regardless of the power dynamics emanating from the male partners.