WhatsApp and Women’s Livelihoods

WhatsApp and Women’s Livelihoods

How everyday digital practices shape pathways to economic participation

ByCaribou

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Caribou conducted an extensive study of women’s use of WhatsApp for livelihoods across India, Kenya, Nigeria, and Pakistan. WhatsApp is the specific focus because of its unique scale: Meta reports more than 3 billion monthly active WhatsApp users globally. It functions as the de facto messaging platform across many low- and middle-income countries. Micro- and small enterprises make up more than 90% of all enterprises across these same low- and middle-income countries, and WhatsApp has become a primary communication layer for many of them. Yet there is little available evidence about how many women rely on it for their livelihoods, or how deeply. This research addresses that gap, combining nationally representative surveys of 7,000 adults, fielded by Ipsos in June 2025, with qualitative interviews conducted by Turn.io. It examines how many women use WhatsApp for livelihood activities, how deeply these practices extend, and what factors shape the gap between casual use and effective use across income segments.

Details

Publication Date
Apr 20, 2026
Language
English
ISBN
9781291750072
Category
Social Science
Copyright
Creative Commons NonCommercial, ShareAlike (CC BY-NC-SA)
Contributors
By (author): Caribou

Specifications

Pages
112
Binding Type
Paperback Perfect Bound
Interior Color
Color
Dimensions
US Letter (8.5 x 11 in / 216 x 279 mm)

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