Executive Summary Catalyze Potential of Early Adopters to Change Norms (Middle of the Pyramid): Recent gains in women’s access to ICTs17 are tempered by the knowledge that female users remain more likely to use their devices for a narrow ü QUICK WIN Government and INGO range of voice calls and text services. To most effectively expand the skills base of courses can adapt the existing such early adopters—and maximize their potential ripple effect on institutional open-source, mobile-first rules and occupational norms—strong existing government and donor support digital literacy curriculum18 for TVET programs should be tapped to weave a broad repertoire of digital skills available in Burmese into TVET into vocational, occupational, and professional training. Focusing on femaledominated occupations that have a high degree of contact with rural and vulnerable populations in trusted venues, such as educators, librarians, and health workers, will optimize the downstream impact. Support Innovation and ICT Jobs (Top of the Pyramid): Reproductive roles significantly limit women’s acquisition of advanced digital skills that translate into ICT-sector employment, despite their overrepresentation among graduates of both secondary and tertiary education. To establish a virtuous cycle of better supply materials used to train female professionals such as health and agricultural extension workers, civil servants, and so on, creating role models and organically transferring digital skills through existing public services. and increased demand, private-sector ICT firms should diversify their talent pools by actively recruiting female staff for technical rather than administrative positions, to increase digital content, products, and services for an untapped female market. Profit motives and an industry focus on user-centered design combine to make the private sector a champion of this narrow component of the gender digital divide. As of 2016, 52 percent of women over age fifteen own a mobile phone, and 77 percent of these are smartphones. Galpaya et al., Mobile Phones, Internet, Information and Knowledge. 17 Ending the Gender Digital Divide in Myanmar: A Problem-Driven Political Economy Assessment | 8

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