MOBILE PHONES, INTERNET, AND GENDER IN MYANMAR MOBILE PHONES, INTERNET, AND GENDER IN MYANMAR 4.2.4 Gender roles at home In addition to their role as family caretaker, women (wife/mother) are almost universally the financial managers of the household, regardless of whether or not they earn money or have a job. All working family members give their income to either their mother or wife (if they do not live with their parents). She spends the money carefully on necessities like food and education, and tries to save for emergencies (e.g. health). She is the decision-maker for daily or routine purchases. According to the qualitative research, in most families all income is handed over to her, and family members will ask for some back or get pocket money from her (e.g. for transport, snacks, teashop, and betel and cigarettes for men). Some men keep some of their income for themselves (e.g. 20–30%). Men are used to this financial arrangement and know that incomes are spent wisely for the good of the entire family. Those that hand all of their income over to their wives/mothers said they have no issue asking them for pocket money since they would hardly refuse if the amount is reasonable. Men are considered to be the (official) head of the household and participate in decisions about bigger and non-routine purchases. These kinds of decisions are discussed and made by the leading male and leading female in the house; often, older children are also involved. If a decision cannot be reached, the male head of household will decide. It is vital to note that important family decisions are often not led by men per se, but governed by seniority (e.g. a grandmother is asked for her opinion, too). Younger children are generally excluded from decisionmaking. “Males are the head of the household. You have to favour and respect them. He has to lead the family. Whatever we do, we have to discuss with him.” “The father is the head of the family, he is the oldest in the family so he has to get favour. He has outside contacts, I rather stay home.” FGD, Rural female mobile owner, 18–28, SEC C/D Home visit, Yangon, female owner, 25, working, SEC C Quite often, a couple will buy a mobile phone together, although product expertise determines who will actually go and buy it. Most women feel that their technical know-how is inferior to men (due to their lack of experience with mobiles and other technology), so they let them decide the brand/model/type. Quite often adolescent children accompany and consult their parents on electronic goods, especially mobile phones, since they are seen as having more experience and expert knowledge than their parents. To summarise, women have a lot of influence and decision-making power in families, but men dominate ‘out-of-home’ affairs, especially about work and the community. Only men would gather and make decisions about community issues, for example. 28 However, in one village there were many femaleheaded households who would get involved in community decisions that had a social aspect. Male dominance in the ‘outer’ world stems from a shared cultural belief that they are the main income earners and that is their duty. Even if women are the main income earner (as was encountered in this study), men would still be regarded as the head of the family and have the ultimate veto over family affairs. However, it seems that most operate on equal terms since both male and female qualitative respondents stressed collective leadership in their families. “I plan to buy a mobile but we do not have enough income. My wife says that I shouldn’t buy one. She is about to give birth so we need to save the money.” FGD, Rural male non-owner, 18–29, SEC D/E 29