There are many success stories of women around the world using information communication technologies (ITCs) to empower themselves. Most research on ICT-enabled empowerment tends to focus on rural women in emerging economies. Little attention has been paid to their low income, immigrant counterparts living in North American cities. Using 30 interviews with Bangladeshi and Ethiopian women who recently immigrated to New York City, this exploratory study describes the barriers to the use of mobile phones amongst immigrant women. A majority of these women were dependents of construction workers and cab drivers, while the others had operative level positions in retail and restaurant sectors. Through grounded theory methods of data analysis, the findings indicate the access and use of mobile technology is impeded by limited incomes and the effort needed to learn the technology. The use of mobile phones is also a negotiation between the immigrant need to assimilate and the anxiety to preserve their native culture
