Some thoughts for International Womens Day
World bank data shows that women are the next big target group for mobile phones in developing countries, that would seem frivolous if its wasn't for another interesting piece of World bank data: GDP in developing countries has a high correlation with mobile phone penetration, a 10% increase in mobile phones relates to a 0.8% in GDP.
in this research report "Striving and Surviving" by http://www.mwomen.org/ 'hot off the press' today, we get a real picture of the challenges and potential benefits mobiles might offer to women at the BoP (base of the pyramid) living on under 2$ a day).
Here's summary of their top findings of "Striving and Surviving" include:
Targeting the whole family. Seventy-four per cent of married women who did not want a mobile phone said it was because their husbands would not allow it. Efforts to communicate the benefits of mobile should focus on the benefits for the whole family;
Eager entrepreneurs. Seventy-three per cent of participants expressed interest in entrepreneurship to help support their families, indicating that mobile solutions that help manage business or set up mobile retail enterprises could be particularly impactful;
The power gap. Thirty-eight per cent of BoP women live ’off grid’, without easy access to an electricity source. Although access to electricity varies by market, low-cost, alternative mobile charging solutions will be key for many BoP women to fully realise the potential benefits of mobile phone ownership;
The SMS utility gap. Seventy-seven per cent per cent of BoP women have made a mobile phone call, but only 37 per cent have sent an SMS, regardless of literacy levels. These women reported that they did not find the SMS services useful so products targeted at them should be of demonstrable practical value; and
The mHealth gap. Eighty-four per cent of women wanted better healthcare information; however only 39 per cent expressed a specific interest in receiving general healthcare information through their mobile phones. Therefore mobile health offerings have to be closely geared towards women’s needs and communicated clearly to be fully utilised.
ubuni mobile learning will be tapping into these needs across health, agriculture, poverty reduction and business; with a focus on empowering women in Africa at the BoP to create their own kinds of social change.
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