NEW YORK – For the first time, more women use the Internet than men, and they will continue to flock to the Net in record numbers for years to come, according to a new study. Media Metrix, Inc. and Jupiter Communications released a report about women’s online behavioral patterns across various age groups and life stages.
Media Metrix and Jupiter analysts examined websites with the highest percent composition of females in each stage of life — from schoolgirls to older women enjoying their senior years — yielding compelling insight on usage patterns within each age group.
Highlights from the report include:
- The number of women online surpassed that of men for the first time ever in Q1 2000 in the U.S.
- The population of women online is growing more rapidly than the online population overall.
- Girls 2-11 are most heavily concentrated within television-related Web sites, licensed merchandise, music, and yes, learning.
- The most notable increase by age group from 1999 to 2000 was among teen girls 12-17, which increased more than 125 percent.
- Sites with the highest composition of females 12-17 remain firmly clustered around several key user interests: teen-targeted fashion magazines, shopping, and music. The number of teens increased 126.3% over the past 12 months.
- The number of females aged 18-24, on the other hand, decreased slightly during the same period.
- Women 55+ have the highest audience share within family, health, genealogy and joke/fun pages.
- Online behavior among women in Europe reflects the U.S. in that European women also use the Internet to gather specific information to make their lives easier, rather than indiscriminate surfing across many different sites. Among the most popular sites for women in Europe are those with information on retail, careers and travel.
“It’s no longer enough to think of women as the target audience. To reach the women’s market sites must pursue deeper relationships, based on interests, personal identities, and affinities,” said Anya Sacharow, an analyst at Jupiter Communications. “The sites that will be most successful in capturing future potential revenue from this market will target women through deeper segmentation.”
