Connected Women
Accelerating digital and financial inclusion for women
Our mission is to reduce the gender gap in mobile internet and mobile money services in low- and middle-income countries and unlock significant commercial and socio-economic opportunities.
In today’s increasingly connected world, women are being left behind. A significant gender gap in mobile phone ownership and usage in low-and middle-income countries (LMICs) is preventing women from benefiting from the life-enhancing benefits of connectivity. Successfully targeting women not only advances women’s digital and financial inclusion, but unlocks significant growth potential for the mobile industry. We estimate that closing the gender gap in LMICs between 2023 and 2030 represents a $230bn revenue opportunity for the industry.
The GSMA’s Connected Women programme works with mobile operators and their partners to address the barriers to women accessing and using mobile internet and mobile money services. Together we can unlock this substantial market opportunity for the mobile industry, deliver significant socio-economic benefits and transform women’s lives. When women thrive, societies, businesses and economies thrive.
Latest Publications
Understanding women micro-entrepreneurs’ use of mobile phones for business
Tuesday 5 Sep 2023 | Bangladesh | Connected Women | English | Ethiopia | Gender | Ghana | Guatemala | India | Indonesia | Kenya | Mobile access and use | Mobile internet for women | Nigeria | Pakistan | Report | Research | Senegal | South Asia | Sub-Saharan Africa |
Evidence from 10 low- and middle-income countries Empowering women micro-entrepreneurs can have significant economic and social impacts, from increasing incomes to creating jobs to strengthening household resiliency. Yet, ...
Methodology: The Mobile Gender Gap Report 2023
Wednesday 23 Aug 2023 | Connected Women | Gender | Mobile access and use | Mobile internet for women | Report | Research | Resource |
This document details the methodology behind The Mobile Gender Gap Report 2023. This accompanying methodology report describes the analysis and modelling techniques we used and highlights important methodological changes from previous years.
The Mobile Gender Gap Report 2023
Wednesday 31 May 2023 | Connected Women | English | Gender | Global | Mobile internet for women | Report | Research | Resource |
The Mobile Gender Gap Report 2023 shares the latest data on the mobile gender gap, the key barriers preventing women’s equal access to and use of mobile, and explores what is needed to close the mobile internet gender gap.
Empowering women micro-entrepreneurs through mobile
Tuesday 21 Feb 2023 | Connected Women | Employment | English | Gender | Mobile access and use | Mobile internet for women | Report | Research |
This landscaping report illustrates how women micro-entrepreneurs in low- and middle-income countries are currently using mobile phones for their business, the barriers they encounter and the opportunities to better serve them.
