Section 2 | FOUNDATIONAL FACTORS never seen a computer but all were familiar with mobile phones. Indeed, in 2016, only 3 percent of the population reported ever having used a computer.122 Other entrepreneurs, ICT professionals, and students of technology confirmed that computers are seen as back-office tools. Few people have experience with them, and gender-based occupational segregation affects both who uses computers and how. Men are more likely to pursue more lucrative ICT tracks such as coding, database maintenance, and digital security, whereas women choose courses in administrative, financial, and legal software. This differentiation among young men and women was confirmed by focus-group discussants as well as staff at a chain of private ICT training institutes that are proliferating to meet demand for shortterm, employment-focused courses. Sex-disaggregated data on enrollment and course preferences among students of the twenty-six computer science universities and five technological colleges was unavailable. Figure 10: Reasons Cited by Non-Owners of Mobile Phones , 2015 vs 2016 Figure #: Reasons Cited by Non-Owners of Mobile Phones , 2015 vs 2016 Don’t Own, Don’t Need Year 2015 30% 43% Don’t Own, Can’t Afford Have Never Used a Phone 0% Year 2016 41% 40% 9% 31% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% Source: LIRNEasia and MIDO, 2016 Second, lack of exposure to the range of available features on mobile phones significantly dampens the perceived benefit of ICTs and contributes to their underutilization (see figure 10 above). Key informants and focus-group participants shared myriad examples of ICT owners and users who experience a degree of technophobia—scared to search online, touch a keyboard, or download apps for fear of breaking their device—and this was described as particularly (though not exclusively) characteristic of women. Outside the urban elite at the top of the digital skills pyramid, it is reportedly uncommon for individuals to customize their mobile devices for their own needs and interests. Instead, retail outlets select settings, preload applications, and even retain administrative passwords, requiring the purchaser to return to the shop to make any adjustments. This fear may stem in part from the cost of replacing damaged or lost digital devices, which represent a considerable financial outlay for most families (see discussion of affordability below), but also reflects narrow experience with mobile phones as preferred devices for voice communications and instant messaging rather than powerful means for reliable access to locally relevant information, products, and services. This preference is particularly true of female users, with men more likely to report using mobiles for livelihood-related purposes123 and for accessing Facebook, downloading applications, and playing games.124 During fieldwork for this 122 123 124 Galpaya et al., Mobile Phones, Internet, Information and Knowledge. GSMA and LIRNEasia, Mobile Phones, Internet and Gender in Myanmar. Ibid. Ending the Gender Digital Divide in Myanmar: A Problem-Driven Political Economy Assessment | 40