| In an indication of how much the Internet has evolved from its roots as a male-dominated research medium, a new study shows women on the Web now outnumber men, and their ranks are growing far faster.
The study, released by Media Metrix and Jupiter Communications, shows strong increases in all age groups of women using the Internet in the United States, except for those between 18 to 24, whose usage actually declined from last year.
“Women in the college age group appear to have more offline interests and more offline business to take care of,” said Anne Rickert, a Media Metrix analyst and co-author of the study.
“Everyone has a life offline, but some age group’s find their offline lives are better served by online resources. For the 18 to 24 age group, aside from academics and some shopping, the Web perhaps does not directly relate to their lives.”
Overall, the study found that during the first quarter of 2000, women and girls made up 50.4 percent of the total U.S. Web audience — the first time in the history of the Internet that they have outnumbered men. |
