Thursday
August 6
2020

Report: Research Explores the Impacts of Mobile Phones for Maasai Women

Mobile phones have the power to change the lives of women living in remote communities by reducing barriers to information and increasing access to local economies. However, the introduction of new technologies can hamper efforts to empower women by increasing disparities in power dynamics.

Associate Professor Timothy Baird of the College of Natural Resources and Environment and Kelly Summers, who earned a master’s degree in geography from Virginia Tech in 2019, led a National Science Foundation-funded study examining the impact that mobile phones are having in Maasai communities in Tanzania. Their findings, published in the Journal of Rural Studies, reveal crucial insights into the ways that technology impacts social dynamics in a distinct community in Africa.

Photo courtesy of Joan Cacciatore Mazza.

Source: Phys.org (link opens in a new window)

Categories
Impact Assessment, Technology
Tags
digital inclusion, gender equality, rural development, telecommunications