Inequalities creating economic barriers to owning mobile phones in India: Factors responsible for the gender digital divide. (November 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Potnis, Devendra
• Is Part Of: Information development. Volume 32:Number 5(2016)
• Page Start: 1332
• Page End: 1342
• Publication Date: 2016-11
• Subjects: mobile phones -- women -- gender digital divide -- economic barriers -- India; Library science -- Periodicals; Information science -- Periodicals; 020.5
• DOI: 10.1177/0266666915605163
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0266-6669

Abstract

In India, men own around 70% of mobile phones, creating a gender digital divide for the most widely owned information and communication technology (ICT) in the world. This study investigates the factors responsible for the inability of 245 female slum-dwellers in India earning less than $2 a day to own a mobile phone. Open, axial and selective coding of survey responses shows that socio-cultural, economic, demographic, psychological, communication-related, and health related inequalities in the lives of the respondents create eight economic barriers precluding respondents from owning some of the least expensive mobile phones worth $15 or so on installments of $1 a month.