Originally published February 16 2006
Study reveals internet activities can be distinguished according to gender
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
A study of Internet usage by the Pew Internet & American Life Project found distinct differences across genders, as women sought communication and relationships more than men, who seek out facts and pornography.
"Once you get past the commonalities, men tend to be attracted to online activities that are far more action-oriented, while women tend to value things involving relationships or human connections," said Deborah Fallows, a research fellow at Pew and author of the report.
A larger number of men surf the Internet for pleasure, with 70 percent acknowledging they go online to pass time, compared with 63 percent of women.
Men are more likely than women to listen to music, view Webcams and pay for digital content.
But women are catching up in several areas measured by the survey, and intensive use by younger women suggests some of the gaps will continue to narrow.
Already, women are heavier users of e-mail, often going beyond the matter-of-fact responses of male correspondents to use e-mail to share stories, solve issues and reach out to a wider network of friends and family.
Partly this reflects their greater broadband access, requiring less time to wait for dial-up connections.
Seventy-eight percent of men have broadband connections at work versus 69 percent of women, although the broadband gender gap narrows among both sexes at home.
Based on responses by thousands of U.S. Web users to a questionnaire covering 90 areas of online activity, the Pew report finds some of the gender differences to be generational.
Girls and young women are more facile with technology-intensive activities than older generations of women appear to be.
Yet boys are far more likely to download music or videos, with 38 percent of boys saying they watch online video versus 24 percent of girls.
"Teenage girls may do more or less than boys of certain activities, like downloading, but the important message is that the technology is not standing in their way," the report states.
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