The World at Her Fingertips
Examining the Empowerment Potential of Mobile Phones among Poor Housewives in Sri Lanka
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 12319227 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Wasana Sampath Handapangoda (University of Sri Jayewardenepura, corresponding author), Ajantha Sisira Kumara (0000-0001-5077-4248, University of Sri Jayewardenepura, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2013 |
| Volume | 17 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 361-385 |
| Publication date | 2013-01-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Gender Technology and Development (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0971-8524 • E-ISSN: 0973-0656 |
| Publisher | Taylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1177/0971852413498742 |
| OpenAlex | W2057214537 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 11 |
| References cited | 8 |
Over the past couple of decades, mobile phones have penetrated Sri Lanka at an unprecedented rate. The rate of adoption of cell phones in the country has been remarkably fast, and not gradual as in other nations. Yet, examination of the developmental impact of mobile phones has drawn surprisingly little attention in Sri Lanka. Therefore, this article attempts to investigate the empowering effect of mobile phones on dependent housewives in poor households of the country by using a mixed research method. Our research found that access to mobile phones was certainly empowering for these women: mobile phones unequivocally strengthened and expanded their social circle and support networks; they led them to domesticate technology, thus challenging negative societal attitudes toward women as technologically incompetent and timid; they reduced women’s information poverty; and opened them up to a newer, non-traditional fun space, which was a clear manifestation of choice and power. However, the women’s use of mobile phones was largely controlled within the household, mainly because they did not have their own income to maintain the phones, thus underlining the need for their financial autonomy. Those women who owned their mobile phones had more control over them than those who lacked legal ownership. To conclude, mobile phones can play a significant role in empowering poor women in Sri Lanka, and can be considered as a tool in the policy agenda for women’s empowerment by the government
Autonomy · Business · Economic growth · Economics · Empowerment · Government (linguistics · Internet privacy · Political science · Poverty · Power (physics · Socioeconomics · Sociology · Sri lanka · ICT Impact and Policies · ICT in Developing Communities · Microfinance and Financial Inclusion
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The role of technology in reducing the gender gap in productivity
The gendered effects of investing in physical and social infrastructure
Is Instagram emerging as a site for self-objectification of women? A systematic literature review
Mobile Phone Use and Women’s Empowerment in Bangladesh
Situated empowerment
Women’s income generation through mobile Internet
Qualitative Research in Tourism
Who’s got the phone? Gender and the use of the telephone at the bottom of the pyramid
Gendered participation in water management
Treading along a Treacherous Trail
The Changing Role of Women in Sri Lankan Society
Mobile phones and community development
Women's empowerment revisited
| Citations per year | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2015 - 2026 (12) |
| Highly cited | No |