Mobile phones, digital inequality, and fertility: Longitudinal evidence from Malawi

Billari, Francesco C.; Rotondi, Valentina; Trinitapoli, Jenny

doi:10.4054/demres.2020.42.37

Cited by 24 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 46 publications

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“…There could be an eventual top‐down diffusion of marriage and childbearing practices across socioeconomic class that eventually gives way to demographic convergence, with the less well‐off changing their behavior as influenced by the dominant cultural model, or the more well‐off changing their behavior to match that of the majority (Frye and Lopus 2018). In line with this possibility, a recent study suggests that mobile phones may be increasing the downward diffusion of elite ideals, which may lead to different outcomes for future cohorts (Billari, Rotondi, and Trinitapoli 2020). Alternatively, if the elite continue to be distinct, and the behaviors of nonelite women do not converge, this will surely stall any further rise in the overall age at first marriage and first birth, and may be an important vehicle for broader inequality.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Economic Inequality and Divergence in Family Formation in Sub‐Saharan Africa

Stoebenau¹,

Madhavan²,

Smith‐Greenaway³

et al. 2021

Population & Development Rev

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Economic inequality has been rising in many sub‐Saharan African countries alongside rapid changes to union and family formation. In high‐income countries marked by rising inequality, union and family formation practices have diverged across socioeconomic statuses, with intergenerational social and health consequences for the disadvantaged. In this study, we address whether there is also evidence of demographic divergence in low‐income settings. Specifically, we model the age at first marriage and first birth by socioeconomic status groups for women born between 1960 and 1989 using Demographic and Health Survey data from 12 sub‐Saharan African countries where economic inequality levels are relatively high or rising. We argue that economic and sociocultural factors may both serve to increasingly delay marriage and childbearing for the elite as compared to others in the context of rising inequality. We find emerging social stratification in marriage and childbearing, and demonstrate that this demographic divergence is driven by the elites who are increasingly marrying and having children at later ages, with near stagnation in the age at first marriage and birth among the remaining majority. We urge further research at the intersection of socioeconomic and demographic inequality to inform necessary policy levers and curtail negative social and health consequences.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Economic Inequality and Divergence in Family Formation in Sub‐Saharan Africa

Stoebenau¹,

Madhavan²,

Smith‐Greenaway³

et al. 2021

Population & Development Rev

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“…Diffused ideas and technologies are received and reinterpreted, gaining new meaning in different contexts and impelling or constraining actions pertaining to fertility choice. Research has stressed the important role information and mass media play in shaping beliefs regarding family limitation (Westoff and Koffman 2011), and empirical support for these pathways vis-a `-vis radio, television, and mobile phones has been found (Billari, Rotondi, and Trinitapoli 2020;Jensen and Oster 2009;La Ferrara, Chong, and Duryea 2012). Theoretically, we anticipate that through the aforementioned mechanisms of increased access to communication and exchange, information, and globalized media content, mobile phones might be capable of spurring the diffusion of novel beliefs alongside the transformation and re-elaboration of gender ideologies, in line with a world-society discourse.…”

Section: Theoretical Perspectivesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mobile Phones and Attitudes toward Women’s Participation in Politics

Pesando

Kashyap

Rotondi

2021

Sociology of Development

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This study explores the relationship between technology adoption and attitudes toward gender equality in political representation by relying on diffusion theories coupled with frameworks of ideational change, social interaction, and world society. We examine whether the use of mobile phones shapes gender attitudes toward women’s participation in politics by making it more widely accepted that women hold institutional roles. We do so with micro-level data from the AfroBarometer, covering 36 African countries, and a multilevel modeling approach. Our results suggest that regular use of mobile phones is associated with more positive attitudes toward women’s participation in politics. The significant relationship—robust to the use of instrumental variable techniques—is observed only among women. This finding strengthens the idea that technology adoption on the part of women, by improving connectivity and expanding access to information, may be a successful lever to raise women’s status and promote societal well-being, ultimately contributing to achieving Sustainable Development Goal 5, which seeks to “achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls.” Concurrently, the lack of a significant relationship for men highlights an important yet often neglected issue: policies aimed at changing gender attitudes are often targeted at women, but men’s attitudes can be stickier than women’s, thus requiring further efforts.

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“…For example, in the German context, Dettling (2017) finds that the diffusion of the internet promotes labor force participation among married women and Billari, Giuntella, and Stella (2019) find that the internet enables women to better reconcile work and motherhood, thereby boosting well-being and (wanted) fertility. Conversely, in a high-fertility setting in Malawi, mobile phone ownership among women is associated with smaller ideal family size, lower parity, and increased child spacing (Billari, Rotondi, and Trinitapoli 2020). Work by Beck et al (2014) and Lagan, Sinclair, and Kernohan (2011) suggests that women are more likely to draw on the internet to empower themselves regarding health-related information.…”

Section: Digital Gender Inequalitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Monitoring global digital gender inequality using the online populations of Facebook and Google

Kashyap¹,

Fatehkia²,

Tamime³

et al. 2020

DemRes

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BACKGROUND In recognition of the empowering potential of digital technologies, gender equality in internet access and digital skills is an important target in the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Gender-disaggregated data on internet use are limited, particularly in less developed countries. OBJECTIVE We leverage anonymous, aggregate data on the online populations of Google and Facebook users available from their advertising platforms to fill existing data gaps and measure global digital gender inequality. METHODS We generate indicators of country-level gender gaps on Google and Facebook. Using these online indicators independently and in combination with offline development indicators, we build regression models to predict gender gaps in internet use and digital skills computed using available survey data from the International Telecommunications Union (ITU). RESULTS We find that women are significantly underrepresented in the online populations of Google and Facebook in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. These platform-specific gender gaps are a strong predictor that women lack internet access and basic digital skills in these populations. Comparing platforms, we find Facebook gender gap indicators perform better than Google indicators at predicting ITU internet use and low

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Mobile phones, digital inequality, and fertility: Longitudinal evidence from Malawi

Cited by 24 publications

References 46 publications

Economic Inequality and Divergence in Family Formation in Sub‐Saharan Africa

Economic Inequality and Divergence in Family Formation in Sub‐Saharan Africa

Mobile Phones and Attitudes toward Women’s Participation in Politics

Monitoring global digital gender inequality using the online populations of Facebook and Google

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