The magazine of the Melbourne PC User Group
Do Women and Men Use the Internet 
and E-mail in Different Ways?
Monika Merkes
 monika@melbpc.org.au

It has been argued that the Internet was developed by males and has been dominated by males since its inception http://nml.ru.ac.za/carr/julia/gender.htm. The findings of the most recent PC Update membership survey appear to support the assumption that men dominate among computer users - only 11% of all those who responded to the survey were female. So what does research tell us about how men and women use the Internet and e-mail?

Studies on gender specific use of the Internet inform us that although women's use of the Internet and e-mail has increased over the years, women still use this technology less and in different ways to men. As expected, most research exploring this topic comes from the U.S. However, there are some Australian findings.
 
The Australian Broadcasting Authority (ABA) observed that the most pronounced differences in the use of Internet services were in the following areas:

  • "surfing the Net" (80% of males compared with 69% of females);
  • use of trading tools (23% vs. 14%);
  • accessing news (58% vs. 38%);
  • looking at sexual content (25% vs. 6%); and
  • transaction processing such as banking and paying bills (36% vs. 25%).
http://www.aba.gov.au/about/public_relations/newrel_01/27nr01.htm.

The ABA also found that male children were more likely to download music or games than female children.

The Centre for International Research on Communication and Information Technologies (CIRCIT) at RMIT http://www.circit.rmit.edu.au/ looked into women's use of the Internet and electronic commerce in the home, and found that:
  • women generally use the Internet as a tool for activities, rather than a technology to be mastered;
  • women seldom associate the use of the Internet with play, gadgetry, machinery and power;
  • women's lesser use of the Internet and electronic commerce cannot wholly be explained by differences in men and women's skills, expertise, familiarity with the technology at the place of employment, education and time available; and
  • the difference in use can be influenced by the location of the PC with the Internet in male spaces in the home. But a change in location does not always lead to a change in use.
However, on the farm, the Internet and the PC are seen as female technologies, unlike the tractor in the paddock. CIRCIT researchers found that women farmers have relatively more education, time and previous PC skills than male farmers, and that the PC and the Internet are used for traditional female activities such as book-keeping and seeking information.

American research http://www.cpsr.org/publications/newsletters/issues/2000/Winter2000/herring.html found that in online discussion groups women are more likely to thank, appreciate and apologise, and to be upset by violations of politeness. Predominantly female groups may have more, and more strictly enforced, posting rules designed to ensure the maintenance of a civil environment. In contrast, men generally appear to be less concerned with politeness. They post criticisms and insults, violate online rules of conduct, tolerate or even enjoy flaming, and tend to be more concerned about threats to freedom of expression than with attending to others' social face. 

In mixed-sex public discussion groups, females were found to post fewer messages, and to be less likely to persist in posting when their messages received no response. Even when they persisted, they received fewer responses from others (both females and males), and did not control the topic or the terms of the discussion except in groups where women made up a clear majority of participants.

Another American study suggested that access to e-mail has improved people's connections to relatives and friends, particularly for women. The Pew Internet & American Life Project http://www.pewInternet.org/reports/toc.asp?Report=11 found that:
  • 55% of Internet users said their e-mail exchanges have improved their connections to family members (60% of females said this compared with 51% of males);
  • 59% of those who e-mail family members reported they communicate more often with significant family members now that they use e-mail (61% vs. 56% );
  • 66% of Internet users said e-mail has improved their connections with significant friends (71% vs. 61% ); and
  • 60% of those who e-mail friends report they communicate with significant friends more often now that they use e-mail (63% vs. 54% ).
It has been suggested that some men find it easier to express emotions or conflict in e-mail than in a face-to-face situation. "Those who are usually reluctant to divulge personal information or betray emotion often find that e-mail provides a layer of distance they find liberating". http://www.nytimes.com/2001/05/17/technology/17TALK.html?pagewanted=print.

In the U.S., women appear to have overtaken men in online shopping. A recent study found that 63% of those who made online purchases were women. http://news.cnet.com/news//0-1007-200-1956977.html?tag=st.cn.sr.ne.2. However, the CIRCIT study reported that fewer Australian women than men use electronic commerce.

Gender is only one of the variables that may explain why people use the Internet and e-mail in different ways. Other important factors include socio-economic circumstances, age, location, education, cultural background, employment, social networks, and access to the required technology. Further, while the research reflects trends, these do not necessarily apply to each individual in the group. 

Do the research findings regarding newsgroups apply to the newsgroups of the Melbourne PC User Group? Despite a male dominance in numbers, I usually find them a friendly and inviting environment. The requirement to use real names and a mature aged membership may explain the difference.

The author thanks Assoc Professor Terry Laidler, Director, CIRCIT@RMIT University, for a complimentary copy of the report Gender, Design and Electronic Commerce.
The author may also be found at http://www-sph.health.latrobe.edu.au/bbww/

Reprinted from the July 2001 issue of PC Update, the magazine of Melbourne PC User Group, Australia

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