Gender Parity Of Online Europeans Will Take 7 Years
The rate of growth of the number of women online in Europe is so slow that if current patterns continue, it will be 2010 before there are as many women as men using the internet.
In the UK women make up around 45% of home internet users, second to Sweden where the proportion is approximately 47%. In Italy, women still account for less than 40% of the online population and this figure has actually decreased since May 2002, says Nielsen//NetRatings.
| Female Internet User Base In Selected Countries | ||
| Unique Audience (000) | % Of All Users | |
| France | 4,839 | 43.4 |
| Germany | 9,547 | 41.4 |
| Italy | 4,390 | 37.5 |
| Netherlands | 2,965 | 44.2 |
| Spain | 3,020 | 41.7 |
| Sweden | 1,834 | 47.0 |
| Switzerland | 1,159 | 43.3 |
| UK | 7,985 | 45.2 |
| US | 62,510 | 51.8 |
| Source: Nielsen//NetRatings, June 2003 | ||
“Getting more women online matters because there is still the perception of the internet as a very male-dominated place. That needs to change in order for a greater range of sites to win a large female audience. Changes are taking place but it’s a very slow process in some markets,” according to Nielsen//NetRatings European market analyst, Tom Ewing.
The report says that the sites that attract female users include shopping, travel, education, finance and health and beauty services, particularly in those countries with a higher proportion of women online. Portals designed specifically for women appear to be less attractive with only one – ivillage.co.uk – appearing in a top ten list of visited sites.
| Top Women’s Websites in the UK, May 2003 | |||
| Unique female audience | Female % of total audience | Category | |
| next.co.uk | 234,000 | 82.9 | Shopping |
| neopets.com | 183,000 | 67.9 | Gaming |
| gus-secure.co.uk | 241,000 | 65.3 | Shopping |
| marksandspencer.com | 255,000 | 57.2 | Shopping |
| debenhams.com | 250,000 | 54.3 | Shopping |
| abbeynational.co.uk | 261,000 | 49.2 | Finance |
| mytravel.com | 241,000 | 49.2 | Travel |
| ox.ac.uk | 239,000 | 47.1 | Education |
| ivillage.co.uk | 324,000 | 46.6 | Women’s Portal |
| tesco.net | 265,000 | 46.4 | Shopping |
| Source: Nielsen//NetRatings, June 2003 | |||
“The market responds to women coming online by providing sites they will want to see,” commented Ewing. “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.”