Guided Foundational

Use is focused on personal communication and limited to making and receiving calls. Some women who have sales based livelihoods may also use phones to communicate with their customers or suppliers. Messaging is not operated directly, text messages are sent and read with help from others.

Entertainment is primarily offline, centred on media shared via Xender/​Bluetooth, including audio and video, and reading material for those able to read (likely in Arabic). Usage could include offline apps such as cooking apps, games, or basic photo filters, with engagement oriented toward consumption rather than posting or active social participation.

Uses offline apps to learn practical skills such as cooking and stitching, and listens to health-related information on the radio. Learning can be active - intentionally accessed through apps, or passive, via radio-based content.

No independent use of digital financial services.

Limited or no engagement in self-promotion or expression.

Does not engage in health or financial tracking.

Unlikely to have had early phone access. Husbands may provide basic phones to enable contact. 

Likely has a basic or feature phone, or share a device with her husband, children, or co-wife when she does not have her own.

Requires others to provide airtime and load media.

Little to no early digital exposure implies that most learning happens in adulthood, supported by partial literacy.

Likely requires step-by-step demonstration and sustained support for anything beyond the basics. May not be able to transfer skills across devices.

Needs support for tasks beyond the basics, including saving numbers and accessing offline media.

Facilitation is likely to come from immediate family members, as she requires ongoing support.

Disruptions occur fairly often but primarily affect entertainment and media consumption. Borrowing phones mitigates the worst effects.

Recurring costs are largely for airtime, not data. While running out of airtime creates some disruption, it does not significantly affect offline media consumption. 

Power sources are often available nearby or at home. When this is not the case, careful battery management is required.

With little to no early exposure, restrictive norms after marriage may be more readily accepted and internalised. Scrutiny remains limited because her usage is minimal.

Older women in these groups, especially those with limited early digital exposure, may not recognise the value of digital use and may internalise and reinforce restrictive gender norms. This tendency is often more pronounced among more vulnerable women with limited education.

May face threats via calls, such as fraud, but exposure remains low due to limited use.

No proactive required response due to limited use.