MOBILE PHONES, INTERNET, AND GENDER IN MYANMAR MOBILE PHONES, INTERNET, AND GENDER IN MYANMAR Executive Summary This report is the result of research conducted by GSMA’s Connected Women programme and LIRNEasia in Myanmar in 2015. Using a baseline survey, LIRNEasia collected nationally representative data from over 12,000 respondents in wards and villages across Myanmar1 between February and March of 2015.2 Deeper qualitative research with an additional 91 men and women was then conducted jointly by GSMA and LIRNEasia in July 2015 in one urban location (Yangon) and one rural location (Pantanaw). The objective of the national baseline survey was to understand the information and communication needs and habits of people in Myanmar. The objective of the qualitative study was to understand the gender gap in mobile ownership and the reasons for low mobile internet use, which became evident in the national baseline survey. Key research findings include: In March 2015, 40% of Myanmar’s population owned a mobile phone. The well-being of one’s family is a top priority for most people in Myanmar. Our research found that greater access to mobile communication in Myanmar has made it easier and more affordable to stay in touch with family. According to LIRNEasia’s national baseline survey, by March 2015, 40% of Myanmar’s population aged 15–65 owned a mobile phone. An additional 41% had plans to get connected in the future.3 Women in Myanmar are 29% less likely to own a mobile phone than men. While mobile phone ownership is growing fast, women in Myanmar are 29% less likely to own a mobile phone than men,4 according to the national baseline survey. This gender gap in ownership was higher among lower income households. Despite this, many women have access to a shared household handset or one of another household member. 1. 2. 3. 4. 2 The gender gap in mobile phone ownership is due to a combination of low household income and traditional gender roles; men and women who leave the house for work or studies get priority for mobile ownership. Our qualitative research findings show that much of the gender gap in mobile ownership has to do with the practical constraints of not being able to afford another handset in the household. In February and March 2015, close to half of the households in the study in Myanmar already owned a mobile phone, and getting a second handset was often not possible due to low household income. In most cases, the household member who goes out of the house for work or studies gets priority to keep the mobile with them—this is often not a female member of the household. Traditional gender roles in Myanmar encourage men to leave the home to earn money for the family, while women are expected to stay home and run the household and take care of the family. However, many respondents in the qualitative research noted that these roles are becoming more flexible as more women choose to further their studies and/or join the workforce. In instances where a daughter/female member of the household went out to work or study, she received priority for mobile phone ownership. Men have a more prominent role in the household based on the religious belief that only men can become a Buddha (see Section 4.2.1), but many of the women interviewed in the qualitative research took this for granted and did not consider it ‘discrimination’. Some women in the qualitative research mentioned that even if they had a mobile, they would find it difficult to afford top-ups. There is a substantial wage disparity between men and women in Myanmar, particularly in rural areas, and this limits women’s ability to pay for top-ups. Furthermore, as the family’s financial manager, women feel the need to prioritise others’ needs before theirs and ensure that household income is spent prudently. Women play a role in deciding whether to buy a mobile phone, but because they tend to have less product knowledge than men, they often rely on men to choose their handset, operator, and plan. Women in Myanmar play a key role in the management of household finances. The decision to purchase a mobile phone is often a family decision, taken jointly by the family or senior household members—female as well as male. However, women are often less involved in decisions relating to the actual purchase (e.g. which handset or SIM to buy), as the advice of those with more product expertise are sought instead (e.g. men, teenage children, young adults in the household, men who know the man running the phone shop). Women who own mobile phones in Myanmar are as likely to own smartphones or ‘touchphones’ as men; smartphones are a symbol of social status. According to the national baseline survey, 64% of women who own a mobile phone have a ‘touchphone’ (smartphone with a touch screen) compared to 65% of men (a negligible difference). There is high demand for smartphones, even though many only use their smartphone for voice. Despite the cost barrier, people are often not interested in keypad phones (basic/ feature phones with a keypad interface) or less expensive smartphones, which are also perceived as low quality. Not even secondhand smartphones are considered. There are several factors at play here: both male and female users want phones capable of data services (mainly Facebook, Viber, and other social media apps) and gaming; there is a strong desire to be seen as ‘modern’ and not ‘outdated’, and financially independent/capable. There is also a preference for better quality handsets that will last longer/perform better. There is a latent demand for mobile internet services among both women and men. Many of the interview respondents—both men and women—were initially motivated to adopt mobile internet services to meet basic communication needs (social, emergency, etc.), but once they were connected (especially through data services) their usage expanded to include business communication and coordination (for those who work or own a business), improving social status, and entertainment (gaming, social media). Data services (or mobile internet service and applications) are used by a third of mobile owners in Myanmar; usage largely consists of social media and calling apps. Approximately one-third of mobile owners have used at least one data service on their mobile phone, according to the national baseline survey. More than half of these users stick to using one to three data services; this was slightly more common among women (59%) than men (52%) data service users. Much of this use is limited to social media and calling and chat applications. Digital skills are limited; women often rely on men to learn ‘how’ to do things on mobiles. Many women did not possess the skills or knowledge to begin using data services (due to a lack of experience with technology), and usually relied on others (primarily men, either relatives or in phone shops) for instruction. This was seen to limit the amount of help women sought and received. Some rural women respondents felt uncomfortable (or shy) asking men for help, whereas urban women observed in the qualitative research were more confident. Excluding 32 townships (or 3% of the population) which were deemed unsafe/inaccessible for researchers With additional data collection in May 2015. Based on the national survey findings. See: http://lirneasia.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/LIRNEasia_MyanmarBaselineSurvey_DescriptiveStats_V1.pdf Where the gender gap in mobile ownership is calculated as [(% of male population that owns a mobile phone − % of female population that owns a mobile phone) / % of male population that owns a mobile phone]. 3