Understanding Women Micro-entrepreneurs’ Use of Mobile Phones for Business: Evidence from 10 Low- and Middle-income Countries (2023)

This report focuses on women’s use of mobile phones for business and the mobile gender gaps experienced by women micro-entrepreneurs. Even when women micro-entrepreneurs own a mobile phone, they may not be aware of the ways in which it can be used for business. Currently, there is little data on the use of mobile phones by women micro-entrepreneurs, the challenges they face using mobile services or the opportunities to reach them with mobile products, and services that support their businesses and accelerate income-generating activities and economic empowerment. The report aims to help fill this knowledge gap by providing data and insights on the use of mobile phones among women micro-entrepreneurs and the barriers they face, outlining: factors driving uptake and use of mobile for business among micro-entrepreneur; mobile gender gaps among micro-entrepreneurs; current use of mobile for business by women micro-entrepreneurs; barriers to mobile use for women micro-entrepreneurs; and opportunities to address the barriers and better reach women micro-entrepreneurs with a mobile phone.