My Opinion Counts

I found the following article very interesting.

Correspondents in San Francisco
APRIL 13, 2007
MORE women than men go online in the US, defying the perception of the internet as a male-dominated realm, a new study has revealed.

Approximately 97.2 million women use the internet in the US, compared to 90.9 million men, according to research by eMarketer.

Women are inclined to use the internet to accomplish tasks instead of as a diversion, said eMarketer senior analyst Debra Aho Williamson, author of the "Women Online" report.

"Females, especially adult women, are more likely to use the internet to get things done, rather than to have fun," the eMarketer report states.

"Many adult women, busy juggling work with their relationships and child-caring responsibilities, don't have time to surf the web for video."

Seventy-eight per cent of male US internet users will watch video online this year while only 66 per cent of the female users will, according to eMarketer.

Reasons given for the difference in video-viewing proclivities included men adopting new technologies faster than women and having greater access to high-capacity broadband internet connections needed to handle data-rich video streams.

The gap between the genders is expected to narrow in coming years as broadband connections become ubiquitous and television shows popular with women are made available for viewing online, according to eMarketer senior analyst Debra Aho Williamson.

"Early data indicate that female teens are as enthusiastic as male teens about online video," Ms Williamson said.

"The networks are well-positioned to drive greater female online video usage by offering more programming that appeals to females, particularly adults."