Differences in phone use between men and women: quantitative evidence from Rwanda

Authors:
Anita Mehrotra;Ashley Nguyen;Joshua Blumenstock;Viraj Mohan
Affiliations:
University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA;University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA;University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA;University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA
Venue:
Proceedings of the Fifth International Conference on Information and Communication Technologies and Development
Year:
2012

Citing 3
Cited 0

Research Approaches to Mobile Use in the Developing World: A Review of the Literature

The Information Society
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Mobile divides: gender, socioeconomic status, and mobile phone use in Rwanda

Proceedings of the 4th ACM/IEEE International Conference on Information and Communication Technologies and Development

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Abstract

We utilize disaggregated, transaction-level call records to explore differences in the communication patterns of men and women in Rwanda. Consistent with prior research, we find that in aggregate, men are significantly more active on their phones. However, by disaggregating usage by time of day and day of year, we show the male-dominated use of mobile phones is not uniform over time. Namely, while men are more active during the day, women become more active at night. We also observe striking differences in men and women's phone activity on Christmas, Valentine's Day, and on politically important days such as the Rwandan and Kenyan Election Days. This paper chronicles these differences, situating the results within the broader literature on how men and women in developing countries interact with mobile phones, as well as other information and communication technologies.