In developing nations, women lag behind men in use of cell phones

The mobile phone has been critical to helping solve poverty and promote development around the world. But in many developing nations, this hand-held technological revolution has left behind a large segment of the population: women.

That was among several findings in a first-of-its-kind study of mobile technology by the GSM Development Fund and the Cherie Blair Foundation for Women. The study showed that mobile phone ownership in low- and middle-income countries has skyrocketed in recent years but that a woman was 21 percent less likely to own a cell phone than a man. That means the mobile banking, health and educational text messaging programs being created by the State Department and development organizations will reach far fewer women than men. The number of women not using mobile phones is about 300 million, according to Vital Wave Consulting, a research and consulting group that conducted the study released last month.