Technology: Friend or Foe for Women of Myanmar “Women from low-income households are less likely to own a smartphone or a touch phone in general than their male counterparts. It would take several months for low-income earners to save up to get a simple phone. For young people, mobile communication has become indispensable for both work and studies, so in most cases, mothers prioritize their children’s needs over their own. Furthermore, elderly women do not think that they would need a phone for themselves. This puts them at risk when the junta forces are ambushing the villages. They do not get any information ahead of time, so they are not well-prepared, and do not have enough time to flee the military raids.” (KII_04, a woman researcher/lecturer) “The prices of basic commodities have increased significantly after the military takeover. To overcome households’ financial instability, especially in low-income households, the decision must be made on whether to sell a mobile phone and whose phone to sell. Most of these decisions are guided by rigid gender roles in the family. In most cases, men are perceived to be the ones who go out and earn their family’s primary income, so they get to keep their mobile phones to stay connected. Women are more likely to stay at home or they are not earning, so it is justifiable that they do not need to keep their own phone since they can get access through the husband or other household members. In some parts of Irrawaddy Delta region, women have no mobile ownership, but their access is through a shared household mobile phone.” (KII_09, a woman from a women’s rights network) Other constraints play a role, as well. The majority of the interviewees cited the lack of electricity as an obstacle to accessing and using ICTs. Where there is no electricity access or there is only sporadic electricity supply for a few hours a day, the use of ICTs is limited. Mobile use among older women from rural areas remains limited due to digital literacy, connectivity, and income fluctuations. These constraints are compounded by the tendency for women to own older, secondhand phones with fewer features and functions. All interviewees agreed that the telecommunications infrastructure is largely concentrated in the urban and peri-urban areas, thus, ethnic minority women living in 19