Section 1 | GLOBAL CONTEXT Figure 2: Map of World Economic Forum’s Networked Readiness Index, 201558 139th Myanmar LEGEND: ■ Green indicates high readiness, with institutions and policies aligned to support ICT contribution to socioeconomic performance. ■ Dark orange indicates low readiness. ■ Grey indicates no available data. Despite marked improvements in the past five years, the World Economic Forum ranks Myanmar 135th out of 139 countries on its Network Readiness Index (see figure 2 above).57 The following key issues contextualize the gender digital divide in Myanmar: • Affordability is cited by 43 percent of non-owners as the reason they do not have a mobile phone,58 with men slightly more likely to do so.59 • Demand for ICTs—particularly internet-enabled products and services—is dampened by lack of content in local languages, low user skills, and digital safety concerns. • Residents in conflict-affected areas lack reliable cellular coverage, and nearly everywhere low connectivity speeds lead to a negative user experience.60 • Plans to modernize the education system with ICT-related teacher training, equipment, connectivity, and curricula with integrated digital skills are nascent. • ICT policy coordination within the government is hampered by opaque and top-down decision making, lack of staff capacity within the civil service, and evolving mandates as new policies and regulations are adopted. “During usability groups with rural women, we had to convince them that they need smartphones to learn about their rights, to access information, that these things are valuable to them. They didn’t know the advantages of accessing the internet— mostly they had heard about the negative impacts.” —Urban female ICT industry employee World Economic Forum, Global Information Technology Report, 2016. Galpaya et al., Mobile Phones, Internet, Information and Knowledge. 59 GSMA and LIRNEasia, Mobile Phones, Internet and Gender in Myanmar. 60 Some conflict-affected areas report receiving mobile network coverage from China, such as the Wa SelfAdministered Zone, but data are anecdotal. See Jonah Fisher, “Drugs, Money and Wildlife in Myanmar’s Most Secret State,” BBC News, November 17, 2016. 57 58 Ending the Gender Digital Divide in Myanmar: A Problem-Driven Political Economy Assessment | 22