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Persistent Male Majority on 'Net in Europe
Women make up only 42% of the European online population, according to the latest research from Nielsen//NetRatings. The proportion is growing but only slowly, and if current trends continue it will be nearly a decade before parity is reached.
In May 2003 there were 35 million European women surfers - 42% of the total online population versus 41% last year. This is in strong contrast with America where 51% of surfers are female.
The proportion of female Internet users varies from 37.5% (and falling) in Italy to 47% in Sweden. The UK has the second highest percentage of women surfers among Western European nations.
'Getting more women online matters', according to Nielsen//NetRatings European Market Analyst Tom Ewing, 'because there is still the perception of the Internet as a very male-dominated place... Changes are taking place but it's a very slow process in some markets...What's interesting is how well specialised, and practical sites do - shopping or local guides, for instance - whereas portals specifically designed for women have a much lower profile'.
Women as a Percentage of total Audience in European Markets, May 2003
Source: Nielsen//NetRatings at home data, May 2003
Sites that tend to attract female surfers include shopping, travel, education, finance and health and beauty sites. Next, M&S and others attract around a quarter of a million female visitors each, and the majority of their visitors are women.
Top Women's Sites in the UK, by composition, May 2003
Source: Nielsen//NetRatings at home and work, May 2003
Editor's note: bizarrely, the stats suggest that a majority of visitors to the Women's portal site ivillage are in fact men. Come on Boys, hands in the air, is it the relationships section or the recipes page you're after?
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