MOBILE PHONES, INTERNET, AND GENDER IN MYANMAR MOBILE PHONES, INTERNET, AND GENDER IN MYANMAR Contents List of abbreviations FGD Focus group discussion HV Home visit ICT Information and communication technology MMK Myanmar kyat SIM Subscriber identification module SEC Socio-economic classification USD United States dollar Definitions Gender gap: How less likely women are to own a mobile phone than men or use a mobile phone for a given purpose than men. For example, for Gender gap in mobile phone ownership (%) About this report Acknowledgements List of abbreviations Definitions Male mobile phone owners (% of male population) Female mobile phone owners (% of female population) Male mobile phone owners (% of male population) mobile phone ownership, the gender gap is calculated as follows: Source: GSMA Connected Women and Altai Consulting, 2015 Keypad phone/handset: A mobile handset with a keypad interface. In this research, this includes basic/feature phones whose primary interface is through a keypad; smartphones (defined below) with keypads are also included, but are not common in Myanmar. Mobile data services/data services: This includes mobile internet service (i.e. internet content accessed through a mobile-based browser versus a stand-alone application) as well as mobile internet applications (defined below). Mobile internet applications (or ‘apps’): Internet-based application software designed to run on smartphones, tablet computers, and other mobile devices. Apps are stand-alone programs that we distinguish from accessing internet content through a browser (although a browser itself is an application). Examples include calling/chat applications such as Viber and BeeTalk, search engine applications such as Google, and social networking applications such as Facebook and others. Mobile owner: Someone who owns a working mobile handset and/or an active mobile SIM card; the national survey findings show that the number who own an active SIM but not a handset are very low, and negligible. National baseline survey/national survey/baseline survey: A nationally representative baseline survey of information and communication technology (ICT) use in Myanmar conducted by LIRNEasia from February to May 2015 that yielded quantitative data. The phrase ‘survey respondents’ refers to those who responded to this national sample survey. Non-owner: Someone who does not own a working mobile handset or an active mobile SIM card, although our research in Myanmar showed they typically have some experience (usually limited) with mobile communication. Qualitative research: The in-depth interviews, focus group discussions, site visits, and other protocols conducted in Yangon (urban) and Pantanaw (rural) in July 2015, which yielded non-quantitative insights. The phrase ‘qualitative respondents’ refers to the subjects who participated in any of these qualitative research protocols. Smartphone/‘touchphone’: GSMA Intelligence defines a smartphone as a mobile handset enabling advanced access to internet-based services with computer-like functions. In this research, a smartphone is considered to be what respondents commonly refer to as a ‘touchphone’, essentially any mobile with a touch-screen interface, and therefore excludes smartphones that may also have a keypad interface (according to LIRNEasia’s baseline survey findings, less than 3% of keypad phone owners [defined above] in Myanmar also had a touch screen on their mobile). ii i i ii ii EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 2 1. 6 Introduction 2. Methodology 2.1. Quantitative research: Nationally representative baseline survey 2.2. Qualitative research 2.3. Limitations 11 11 12 12 3. Gender and ICTs: A brief overview 14 4. Myanmar’s socio-economic context 4.1. Socio-economic context and challenges faced 4.2. Social fundamentals and key values in Myanmar society 4.2.1. Role of religious values in shaping social expectations 4.2.2. Gender roles in Myanmar 4.2.3. Importance of family and the home 4.2.4. Gender roles at home 18 18 23 24 25 27 28 5. Mobile use in Myanmar 5.1. Getting connected 5.1.1. Who makes the decision to get connected 5.1.2. Who gets the first mobile? 5.1.3. Who taught them to use the phone? 5.1.4. Selecting a mobile operator 5.1.5. Smartphone usage 5.2. Understanding the gender gap/differences 5.2.1. Barriers to women’s mobile ownership 5.2.2. Problems with phone sharing 5.2.3. Mobile usage 5.2.4. Current communication behaviour of non-owners 5.2.5. Benefits of mobile access: Changing perceptions with data service uptake 5.3. Use of mobile data services 5.3.1. Digital skills and mobile literacy 5.3.2. Awareness and understanding of internet terminology 5.3.3. Usage and awareness of brands / apps 5.3.4. Experiences and perceptions of mobiles and social media 5.3.5. Children and the Internet 30 31 33 33 35 36 37 40 37 42 44 48 49 52 52 55 58 61 65 6. Recommendations 66 7. Bibliography 72 8. Annexes Annex 1: GSMA Digital Skills Framework criteria Annex 2: Respondent portraits 75 75 76 1