How do they use their phones?
Women use their phones to stay connected, manage financial transactions, consume entertainment, express themselves, and access information for everyday needs. Patterns of use are shaped by relevance, familiarity, and the constraints of their social and material contexts.
Mobile Ownership (DHS-8 2023)
23%Smartphone Ownership
0%Uses Mobile for Financial Transactions
22%
Reach and Connection
Phone use may be very limited and mediated by others, depending on access and literacy.
Entertainment and Stress Relief
Entertainment may occur primarily as a shared activity with others rather than through independent use.
Learning and Growth
Digital use is not typically oriented toward learning.
Transactions and Financial Security
Primarily uses Wave cards to receive money and withdraws cash with assistance from others, often agents.
Self Promotion and Expression
Use does not typically extend to self-promotion or personal expression.
How do they get access to their phones?
Access to phones is often mediated through family and social networks, with devices acquired, shared, or supported through these relationships. Patterns of ownership, control, and continuity vary across geographies and reflect broader gendered and economic conditions.
Is in the Top 40% by Household Wealth Nationally
0%Has Year Long Employment or Livelihood Activity
12%
Access to Device and Consumables
Unlikely to have had early access to a phone.
Unlikely to own a personal device and may have to rely on shared or borrowed phones from family members or a spouse. Access may be inconsistent and shaped by sporadic borrowing.
Largely dependent on others for airtime purchases.
How do they learn how to use their phones?
Women build digital capability over time through a combination of early exposure, literacy, and support from others. Facilitators, such as family members, peers, or intermediaries often play a role in shaping how skills are developed and how confidence is built.
Can Read Full Sentences
5%Cannot Read at All
91%
Base Capabilities
No early exposure; usage is largely dependent on facilitator support.
Learning Style
Uses the phone as instructed and may struggle to retain new functions even after demonstration.
Learning Needs
Requires continuous facilitation and repeated guidance for even basic phone operations.
Facilitators
Almost entirely dependent on facilitators, typically family members or shopkeepers, particularly for receiving and withdrawing money.
What are the challenges they navigate?
Women navigate interruptions in access, limitations in resources, and a range of digital risks. Their use of phones is shaped by social expectations and relationship dynamics, which influence when, how, and how freely they are able to stay connected.
Has Internalised Domestic Violence
31%Participates in Household Decision Making
16%Household has Electricity
33%
Disruptions caused by Financial Shocks, Damage, Degradation and Loss
Disruptions may have less visible impact, as use is already intermittent and dependent on others. Access may remain discontinuous over time.
Managing Recurring Costs (data, airtime etc.)
Disruption is not keenly felt as use is basic and can be supported with borrowed devices.
Charging Cycles
Challenges with charging may exist but do not result in significant disruption as use is minimal and can also be managed with borrowed devices.
Norms, Control and Coercion
Very limited use may not attract significant normative attention.
Perception of Risk
Likely to have heard of scams from others. May associate phones with a vague sense of potential danger or moral risk.
Response to Digital Risk
Fear of misuse or reputational harm may lead to avoidance of digital engagement.