Independent Intermediate
Uses digital tools independently for a defined set of tasks, within a limited and stable repertoire.
Pathways Segment
Of Reproductive Age Women
7%- Largely Feature Phone
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 2024)
59%Smartphone Ownership
15%Uses Mobile for Financial Transactions
14%
Reach and Connection
Use is primarily for personal communication. Uses WhatsApp to send and receive voice notes with known contacts with limited use beyond this.
Entertainment and Stress Relief
Primarily consumes media offline. Listens to music and watches movies received from computer centers, and shares media using Xender, Bluetooth, and memory cards; engagement is passive and centered on playback rather than browsing or searching.
Learning and Growth
Uses offline apps to learn practical skills such as cooking and stitching, and listens to health-related information on the radio. There is also some radio-based passive learning.
Transactions and Financial Security
No independent use of digital financial services.
Self Promotion and Expression
Limited or no engagement in self-promotion or 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
36%Partner Works in a Professional or Managerial Role
13%Has Year Long Employment or Livelihood Activity
47%
Access to Device and Consumables
Unlikely to have had early phone access. May receive phones from siblings or from husbands after marriage.
May have a basic or feature phone of her own, or share with her husband, children or co-wife when she does not have her own device.
May require husband, suitors or other family members to provide or load media on her device.
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
36%Cannot Read at All
4%Has Secondary and Above Education
44%
Base Capabilities
Has some prior digital exposure through someone else’s phone; limited literacy but enough for basic offline app use.
Learning Style
Curious and observant; learns through demonstration but may require repeated guidance. Wants to learn but may need to do it on a borrowed device, sometimes discreetly due to normative constraints. Entertainment is a key motivation.
Learning Needs
Needs help with recharging airtime. Could be taught to save contacts and share or receive files through offline channels. Lack of access to a dedicated device may slow down learning.
Facilitators
Family members are primary facilitators. Children may facilitate offline file sharing and setup of offline apps.
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
27%Participates in Household Decision Making
41%Household has Electricity
52%
Disruptions caused by Financial Shocks, Damage, Degradation and Loss
Disruptions occur fairly often but primarily affect entertainment and media consumption. The worst effects can be mitigated through borrowing phones.
Managing Recurring Costs (data, airtime etc.)
Recurring costs are largely for airtime, not data. While running out of airtime causes some disruption, it does not significantly affect offline media consumption.
Charging Cycles
Requires careful battery management, as she may depend on distant charging centers. Hand-me-down or older phones often have battery issues, making this a recurring disruption.
Norms, Control and Coercion
She is likely to experience some normative restrictions that limit expansion of use. These may operate through physical access constraints, such as access to charging or media centers, or through requirements such as obtaining an identity number needed to unlock mobile banking. Scrutiny of her digital use remains limited, as it is not perceived as socially risky.
Perception of Risk
May have a vague sense of digital threats, largely through what she has heard from others.
Response to Digital Risk
Restrictions are more likely to be self-imposed since use is not actively monitored. Even on shared smartphones, usage may not expand.