07 October 2010

Clinton: Mobile Phone Access Key to Opportunity for Women

By MacKenzie C. Babb
Staff Writer

Washington — Increasing women’s access to mobile technology is critical in providing opportunity and achieving global gender equality, says Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton.

“The spread of cell phones has launched a new era of possibility in the fights against poverty, disease, hunger, corruption and political oppression,” Clinton said October 7 in Washington at the launch of the mWomen initiative.

The initiative is a public-private partnership between the international development community and the global mobile phone industry, represented by the initiative’s primary sponsor, GSMA, which represents the interests of the worldwide mobile communications industry.

The goal is to increase women’s access to mobile technology. Currently, 300 million more men than women have access to cell phones. MWomen aims to cut this mobile gender gap in half during the next three years by providing mobile technology to at least 150 million women.

Clinton said the initiative is not only working to solve a problem, but also is seizing an opportunity. According to GSMA, closing the mobile phone gender gap represents a potential $13 billion increase in annual revenue for mobile operators worldwide.  

Clinton said that in addition to the opportunities this will create for private sector investment, increasing women’s access to cell phones will provide a wealth of benefits for women and their communities around the world.

For one, she said, mobile technology can accelerate economic development.  

“With a cell phone, a farmer in sub-Saharan Africa can learn how to protect her crops from pests that would otherwise destroy a harvest; an entrepreneur in Latin America can more easily obtain a business license, or communicate with a mentor or a customer; a woman in Asia can use her mobile banking to control her family finances or budget for school fees or save for a new house,” Clinton said.

She added that mobile technology can also improve governance and strengthen democratic institutions.

“For example, in the recent voting on a constitution in Kenya, where previous elections have led to violence, peace was maintained, thanks in part to technology that tallied ballots in real time,” the secretary said.

Also, Clinton said mobile technology fosters health and education, especially in places where systems do not yet exist.

“With cell phones, expectant mothers who live nowhere near a clinic can still receive prenatal health tips; students whose teachers rarely show up at school can still move ahead with their lessons,” Clinton said.

Cherie Blair, wife of former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, joined Clinton at the launch. Her Cherie Blair Foundation sponsored research with GSMA that highlighted the importance of expanding mobile technology to women.

“Having access to a mobile phone bolsters personal security. It enables small businesses to prosper. It increases incomes. And it makes it easier to access banking services and credit,” Blair said.

She said more than nine out of 10 women surveyed said they felt safer because of their phone, and more than eight of 10 felt more independent. She added that more than half of the women in the study reported they had earned additional income because of their mobile phones.

Kapilaben Vankar, a small farmer from India, spoke at the launch about how gaining access to a mobile phone allowed her to diversify and expand her business. She called mobile technology a “powerful tool” in connecting women, allowing them to become more prosperous and empowering them to fight global poverty.

(This is a product of the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://www.america.gov)