Top findings:Women use their mobiles significantly more for personal messaging, entertainment and social media than they do for work; professional tasks are chosen least among mobile activities - with some exceptions in Southeast Asia.
Women view mobile's role in the exchange of information and financial services as most valuable for solving larger societal and economic problems.
Flexibility, work-life balance and efficiency among most cited mobile value-adds to women's professional lives.
Despite much talk of social media fatigue, it was found to rule mobile habits around the clock.
Wildly varied national opinions on a hypothetical women-only Internet and in which situations mobile phones should be off limits.
By and large, the women we talked to say that the mobile phone is one of the tools that helps them shape how they balance their personal lives with their professional lives. The mobile phone seems to be less of a leash to the office than we expected. We are seeing well-educated, professional women turn to mobile devices for entertainment, maintaining personal connections, and providing a break from the rigours of their busy lives, said Dr. Erica Gibson, VP of Product Management and User Research, Telenor Group.
The survey has given us more crystallised and very useful insights into female digital habits and user needs. We wanted to talk to women about this because we know that they hold large stakes in connectivity and access to information and services, which they make clear in this survey, said Gibson.
The survey was conducted on a sample of 1300 professional women aged 25-40 in Scandinavia and Asia (Malaysia, Myanmar, Norway, Singapore, Sweden and Thailand). This was supplemented by in-depth interviews with women in Norway, Singapore and Thailand. The markets surveyed represent a range of economies, socio-political systems, stages of industrial development and mobile penetration.
Women's top mobile activities All six markets share the use of social media, personal messenger apps, music and news as respondents' most frequent mobile activities. Between 50-80% of women in all markets say they use social media apps most out of any other mobile features, despite much talk of social media fatigue. Messaging apps is a close second in most markets, but stands out as the top choice in Singapore.
Reading news is highly ranked in Norway and Myanmar, and listening to music is Sweden and Singapore's third highest activity. Despite the popularity of wifi-calling, women in Malaysia and Myanmar highlight personal phone calls in their three most frequent mobile activities.
Interestingly, when looking at top mobile activities, the survey found that the degrees to which the personal supersedes the professional on mobile phones shifts as you head from West to East. In Norway and Sweden, women list work among their least frequent mobile uses, and try to completely shut out the office in the evening. Women in Southeast Asia allow work to percolate through more of their personal time. Women in Thailand and Myanmar, however, both list work-related messaging and phone calls as fourth and sixth most frequent activities.
Most common emotions when using the mobile When it comes to feelings associated with mobile usage, women in all six markets were aligned in feeling entertained and connected to the world when using their mobiles. Interestingly for the third choice, Swedish women say they felt addicted while Myanmar women report being optimistic . Malaysia, Norway, Singapore and Thailand all share feeling relaxed while on their mobile. Feelings such as depressed , stressed , overwhelmed , and exposed were least frequently identified across the board.
Mobile activities in the evening and if waking up at night To shed light on what happens after office hours, respondents were also asked about their last three mobile activities before bedtime and in the middle of the night. Social media came in first across the board, but subsequent options vary greatly.
Ten percent of Swedes cite a midnight online shopping habit. Women in Norway and Myanmar read news as a primary before-bed activity, though in Norway, 1 in 5 admits that news shifts to reading gossip and tabloids as the night wears on. Not allowed before bed or in the middle of the night are work activities - the least frequent undertakings mentioned by women in all markets.
Where women say no to mobiles - and where they don't Professional women use their mobile a lot - but there are situations in which they will disconnect. Women in all six markets say job interviews are among their top phone off locations. More than 90% of Scandinavian women say funerals are inappropriate for mobiles, compared to a quarter of Asian women.
Interestingly, the situations where women keep their mobiles on speak volumes, as the mobile permeates previously sacred social and private settings. Women in all markets are more accepting of phones in romantic situations than they are of phones on during job interviews or on airplanes. Thai and Myanmar women are the most unopposed to phones in intimate settings (only 13% and 3% say turn them off ) while 39% of Swedes are against mixing phones and romance. Scandinavians are unopposed to mobiles in the loo, while Asians turn them off.
How can the mobile help empower societies As Telenor Group has committed to supporting the UN Sustainable Development Goal #10 - Reduced Inequalities, the survey also asked women for their thoughts on how mobile connectivity could address societal or economic issues. Information and knowledge sharing is cited as the most important way mobiles can do this, according to about sixty percent of women in Norway, Malaysia, Singapore, Sweden and Thailand - and 80 percent of women in Myanmar. Mobile banking is identified by women in all mark
