The GSMA and the Cherie Blair Foundation for Women, a charity that supports women entrepreneurs published the “Women and Mobile: A Global Opportunity” report during the Mobile World Congress. It’s the first detailed global study of its kind, attempting to understand the nature of women mobile subscribers in low and middle-income countries such as Kenya and India.
Without further ado, here’s what the key findings show:
- There are 300 million fewer female subscribers than male subscribers worldwide
- A woman is 21% less likely to own a phone than a man in low and middle-income countries – 23% in Africa, 24% in the Middle East, and 37% in South Asia
- Regionally, the incremental annual revenue opportunity for operators ranges from $740 million in Latin America to $4 billion in East Asia
- 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
And you can grab the full report from here. (PDF)