Introduction The gender digital divide is one of many challenges facing the Republic of the Union of Myanmar, the poorest country in Southeast Asia.23 As it emerges from five decades of military rule, civil war, and international isolation, Myanmar needs to maximize the potential of its diverse population and minimize systemic barriers that limit the ability of certain social groups—particularly the 70 percent rural majority, the female demographic majority,24 and the dozens of ethnic minorities—to participate in and benefit from development. This study looks at one such systemic impediment—the gender digital divide—using a gendered political economy analysis (PEA) to surface key factors involved in creating and maintaining the divide, then offers pragmatic recommendations to begin closing the divide. Key Findings Widespread political and economic reforms present a window of opportunity to eliminate the gender digital divide and optimize Myanmar’s transformation into a twenty-first- IREX INSIGHT century information society. At the same time, there is considerable potential for the There is considerable potential divide to be exacerbated as an unintended consequence of rapid changes in government for today’s gender digital policies, budget allocations, market conditions, and public ICT use. Unfortunately, divide to be exacerbated as an beyond research on women and mobile phones,25 none of the broad gender assessments unintended consequence of rapid conducted in Myanmar in recent years have analyzed the potential for the gender digital divide in Myanmar to become yet another obstacle to gender equality and sustainable development.26 This study undertakes to remedy this gap in the knowledge base, with a specific focus on identifying opportunities and constraints within the current political economy to changes in government policies, budget allocations, market conditions, and patterns of public ICT use. redress this aspect of gender inequality in Myanmar. The research complements available measures, such as the 28 percent gender gap in control over mobile phones—the most prevalent digital device available in Myanmar today—which is a common proxy for access to ICTs overall, given the very low number of fixed broadband subscribers and dearth of public access venues outside urban areas.27 Notably, this analysis goes further to explore deeply entrenched structural, institutional, and cultural factors that govern gender-based differences in acquisition of ICT skills and, most significantly, real and perceived benefits derived from ICTs. The latter is particularly important, as women are more likely than men to say they “have no use” for a phone (34 percent versus 25 percent of nonowners) and to use shared devices, which restricts opportunities to expand their digital skills repertoire and reap more development benefits from ICTs. As measured by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), per monetary indicators (e.g., per capita GNI of $1,270 versus $1,660 in Lao PDR) for which data is available. Myanmar ranks higher on social indicators such as maternal maternity, access to improved drinking water, and primary school enrollment (but not completion) rates. See Asian Development Bank, Basic Statistics 2016 (Manila: ADB, April 2016). 24 There are 2 million more females than males in Myanmar, or 52 percent of the population, according to the 2014 census (Ministry of Immigration and Population, The 2014 Myanmar Population and Housing Census: The Union Report, Census Report, Vol. 2 (Naypyidaw: Republic of the Union of Myanmar, May 2015). 25 GSMA and LIRNEasia, Mobile Phones, Internet and Gender in Myanmar. 26 ADB, United Nations Development Programme, United Nations Population Fund, and United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women, Gender Equality and Women’s Rights in Myanmar: A Situational Analysis (New York: United Nations, October 2016); ADB, Myanmar: Interim Country Partnership Strategy Final Review Validation 2012–2014 (Manila: ADB, February 2016); Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and INTEM Consulting, Country Gender Profile: Republic of the Union of Myanmar Final Report (Tokyo: JICA, 2013). Urbano, M and T. Dickinson (2016) Women and the Economy in Myanmar: An Assessment of DFAT’s Private Sector Development Programs, Australian Department of Foreign Aid and Trade 27 Fee-based public access venues such as cybercafés and telecenters are concentrated in urban areas, and free public access via government institutions such as schools and public libraries is an exception rather than the rule. 23 Ending the Gender Digital Divide in Myanmar: A Problem-Driven Political Economy Assessment | 12