How do Women Use the Internet?

The demographics of Internet usage, especially with reference to the sexes, have been subject to great speculation ever since the advent of the Internet. Do men and women use Internet the same way or differently? What do women think of the Internet? How do they negotiate this space and how they use it? What exactly is the Internet being used for by women? What are women’s hopes, dreams and fears about the Internet?

A million significant questions to which there are no easy answers, if only because of the constantly evolving dynamics between the sexes. Most studies on the way men and women use the Internet reveal that men are still first out of the blocks when it comes to trying out the newest innovations and latest technologies. They are also more demanding in their quest for Internet activities—logging on more often and spending more online when they do.

Closing the Gender Gap

Recent trends in internet usage however indicate that, although the percentage of women using the Internet still lags slightly behind the percentage of men, the gender gap is slowly closing. Women are steadily catching up in overall use of the Internet and they are framing their online experience with a greater emphasis on strengthening connections with other people. A recent Burst Media survey indicated that 66.1% of women claim their lives are likely to be disrupted if they had to do without Internet access for even one week.

The Internet as a tool for Communicating:

The demographics of Internet usage, especially with reference to the sexes, have been subject to great speculation ever since the advent of the Internet. Do men and women use Internet the same way or differently? What do women think of the Internet? How do they negotiate this space and how they use it? What exactly is the Internet being used for by women? What are women’s hopes, dreams and fears about the Internet?

Go here to discover the answers to the questions: