MOBILE PHONES, INTERNET, AND GENDER IN MYANMAR Those with their own incomes tended to pay for their mobile top-ups themselves, while those without relied on the family budget for top-ups. Not having their own income to support mobile top-ups was one reason non-working women gave for not owning a mobile of their own. The average monthly spend on mobile top-ups was MMK 8,997 (USD 8.71), according to the survey data. Men who were currently working, from more affluent households, and used the internet, spent significantly more than others (Table 7). Higher spending also corresponded with usage patterns. For example, heavy internet users interviewed in the qualitative research spent MMK 15,000–30,000 (some as high as MMK 50,000), the bulk of which was for data usage. MOBILE PHONES, INTERNET, AND GENDER IN MYANMAR Several mobile owners interviewed in Pantanaw said they would like to use the internet more than they currently do, but could not afford it. Low incomes do not allow people to ‘waste’ money since necessary expenses for food have to be met first. Female mobile owners are especially sensitive to this, as they feel responsible for spending money on the well-being of their family instead of for their own entertainment. The smallest top-up card denomination seen in the field research was MMK 500. Most rural respondents were daily wage labourers and many women earned MMK 1,500 daily, which is not enough to top-up frequently. HV rural, female owner, 21, working, SEC D/E “I spent too much money for the internet so I had no credit for calling anymore. The phone is important for business so I stopped using the internet.” FGD rural, female owner, 18-29, working, SEC D/E Source: LIRNEasia Baseline Survey, 2015 Table 7 “I used a news app before but it took too much credit.” Mean monthly spend on mobile top-ups by mobile owners (MMK) MALE 9,254 FEMALE 8,682 CURRENTLY WORKING 9,196 NOT WORKING 8,611 LOW-SPENDING HOUSEHOLDS43 7,479 HIGH-SPENDING HOUSEHOLDS44 10,485 MOBILE DATA SERVICE USERS 11,662 MOBILE DATA SERVICE NON-USERS 7,609 ALL MYANMAR MOBILE OWNERS 8,997 Note: USD 1 = MMK 1032.49 as of 31 March 2015; mobile data service user defined as someone who uses at least one of the following: mobile internet service (via browser) or any mobile internet application. “It is good to be modern, but the costs for internet are also high.” FGD rural, male owner, 30-45, working, SEC C/D “My wife complains if I top up too much.” FGD Yangon, male owner, 30–45, SEC B/C “Females need income to top it up.” FGD Yangon, female mobile users, 30–45, non-working, SEC B/C • Micro top-ups can help low-income mobile owners manage their airtime expenses according to their needs. • Increased offerings of data bundles and cheaper plans that meet specific needs (e.g. gamers versus voice-only users) can help lowincome owners manage their expenses. 43. Total monthly household expenditure of MMK 300,000 or less 44. Total monthly household expenditure of MMK 300,001 or more 46 47