A feminist study of women using mobile phones for empowerment and social capital in Kaduna, Nigeria

Ndukwe, CU

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to identify how Nigerian women have adopted and are using mobile phones for social capital building and empowerment. The study which is qualitative in nature utilises interviews to gather the experiences of the mobile lives of 22 women. Results obtained are analysed using a theme template analysis approach. This project will contribute to our understanding of the role of mobile technologies in developing regions and economies. This study adds to our understanding of how women in Nigeria use the mobile phone to maintain social capital. The study expands our understanding of what socialization and empowerment mean to women in developing countries. The study adds to the literature on the implication of new communication technologies and social networking sites (SNS) for social capital. The findings point out that for the women in the study, the major benefit of owning a mobile phone is the ability to remain connected with family, friends and kin, no matter where life leads them to. Addition findings show that the mobile phone creates opportunities or the women to expand their social networks to include people that they ordinarily would have not had the opportunity to be connected with.

Citation

Ndukwe, C. A feminist study of women using mobile phones for empowerment and social capital in Kaduna, Nigeria. (Thesis). University of Salford

• Thesis Type: Thesis
• Deposit Date: Apr 8, 2020
• Publicly Available Date: Apr 8, 2020
• Award Date: Jan 1, 2020