A recent study has revealed that Kenyan men outspend their female counterparts when it comes to mobile phone services like data and airtime.
The Mobile Gender Gap Report 2023, conducted by the international association for mobile network operators (GSMA), indicates that women in Kenya, Ethiopia, Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal, and Egypt spend an average of 32% less on mobile services compared to male mobile owners.
The report highlights that this gender gap is most pronounced in Sub-Saharan Africa, where mobile data and services are less affordable.
Interestingly, the gender gap in mobile services spending persists across all regions, even in areas where other gender gaps related to mobile usage are relatively low.
The research encompassed 13,800 participants from 12 low and middle-income countries, including the six Sub-Saharan African nations mentioned earlier, as well as Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Pakistan, Mexico, and Guatemala.
In Kenya specifically, the report found that men had a higher overall mobile phone usage rate in 2022. On average, men used their mobile devices for 6.8 different purposes per week, while women reported an average of 5.1 use cases.
However, these figures represent a decline from the previous year’s usage rates, which stood at 7.5 and 5.0 for men and women, respectively.
Regarding mobile internet adoption, 59% of Kenyan men were connected, marking no change from the previous year. On the other hand, women’s mobile internet adoption stood at 39%, a slight increase from 36% the previous year.
The report attributed this spending disparity to the lower levels of employment, income, and financial autonomy experienced by women.
It emphasized that even when women owned a mobile phone, their usage did not match that of men.
Addressing the gender gap in mobile phone usage and spending would require addressing the structural inequalities that hinder women’s income and employment opportunities, as well as the barriers they face in utilizing mobile services.
One of the key factors to consider is making mobile services more affordable.
The report also highlighted that bridging this gender gap presents a significant commercial opportunity for the mobile industry. If the gender gap were to close by 2030, the industry could generate an estimated $230 billion in revenue.
Notably, approximately 85% of this amount, around $195 billion, would come from closing the gender gap in mobile services spending alone, indicating that the majority of the revenue would result from increased female mobile use.
In conclusion, the Mobile Gender Gap Report 2023 underscores the disparity in mobile services spending between Kenyan men and women.
It emphasizes the need to address structural inequalities and barriers that limit women’s access to mobile services and highlights the commercial potential for the mobile industry in closing this gender gap.
