According to National Statistics Office's recent telecom survey, women mobile phone access is at the bottom, of a national listing, in Chhattisgarh (39 per cent), Tripura (40.4 per cent), & Madhya Pradesh (42.4 per cent).
Ownership is defined as personal use of a mobile with an active SIM, even if it’s an employer’s phone or not in the user’s name. Shared use doesn’t count. Phone ownership assures a certain amount of independence.
Data has revealed that in 10 states and union territories, mobile phone ownership among women aged 15, and above, falls short of the national average of 56.2 per cent.
Nearly 92 percent of women in Goa and Ladakh own mobile phones, followed by Mizoram (88.5 per cent), Kerala (85 per cent), and Puducherry (83 per cent).
In cities, 72 per cent of women own mobile phones, but in villages, this drops to 48 per cent. To show the contrast: Among men, 90 per cent in cities and 80.7 per cent in villages own phones.
Nationally, 78.4 per cent of women who own mobiles have smartphones. Delhi leads with 91.1 per cent, followed by Goa (89.9 per cent) and Mizoram (89 per cent).
Puducherry has the lowest share of female smartphone owners at 62.8 per cent, followed by Tamil Nadu (70.8 per cent) and Telangana (71.9 per cent).
Nearly 80 per cent of women said they had used a mobile phone in the three months before the survey. Women in 25 states/UTs reported usage above the national average.