State Department supports boosting women's cell phone access in developing nations

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton launched a program on Oct 7 that aims to convince more women in developing nations to use mobile phones, a practice that directly affects economic success and increases social interactions.

Worldwide, women are 21 percent less likely than men to own a mobile phone, according to a report released by Global System for Mobile Communications Association, a London-based group that represents worldwide mobile communications companies, and the Cherie Blair Foundation for Women, which promotes entrepreneurship among women in developing countries. Women without mobile phones do not have the economic and social benefits, such as finding markets for their goods and ensuring their personal safety, that typically are associated with cell phone ownership. Cell phones also have helped illiterate woman learn numbers and letters.