Mobile phones for development: How have women in the informal sector used their mobile phones to enhance themselves and their business?

Chair, Chenai A

Mobile phones for development: How have women in the informal sector used their mobile phones to enhance themselves and their business?

Master Thesis

2014

Publisher

University of Cape Town

Department

Department of Sociology

Faculty

Faculty of Humanities

Abstract

The research looked into how women in the informal sector made use of mobile phones to enhance their wellbeing and their businesses. The study was carried out within the discourse of information technology for development where it is argued that information technologies have the potential to improve on people's lives. This research sought to examine the possibility for development and growth through the conceptual framework of social inclusion and inclusive growth. This was used as a lens to analyse the data on mobile phone use by women in the informal sector. Qualitative research was conducted in three townships in Cape Town, through purposive sampling of five female respondents. Two respondents were in the hairdressing industry, two were in the meat selling industry and one respondent owned a shebeen. The women were running micro enterprises in the informal sector, as they had no other means to provide for themselves and their families. Mobile phones were incorporated into the daily running of business. The functions of the mobile phone mainly used were voice, text and Internet access through social media and instant messaging. Four resources were identified as crucial for the promotion of social inclusion and growth that would enhance the economic and social participation of individuals. These were physical, digital, human and social resources. All of the respondents had the physical resource of mobile phones that varied in functions. Digital resources showed information exchange crucial to the businesses and for the women. Human resources were the skills that that the women had that would allow for utilization of mobile phones. The social resources referred to social capital present that enabled use of mobile phones. Social inclusion and Inclusive growth through use of mobile phones was possible in the social context in which the women were based. Whilst costly mobile phone credit was a limitation directly linked to mobile phone use, women faced structural challenges beyond the functions of the mobile phone. Women in this study harnessed the potential of mobile phones;; together with the resources they already had to improve on their business, impacting on the quality of their lives.

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