Released at the end of June, the research shows that in May 2003 42 per cent of European web users were female - compared with 41 per cent in the previous year.
Sweden and the UK had the highest number of female web users, but in Italy the number of women online has actually decreased over the past year to just 37 per cent. Italy also has the lowest penetration of online shopping.
Nielsen/NetRatings internet analyst Tom Ewing told dotJournalism that women tend to use the web to book services or products. "Women use the internet less intensively than men and in a very functional, practical way. Men tend to focus on content."
The research monitored 10,000 web users in Europe, the US, Brazil, Japan, Hong Kong and Australia. The youngest users were nursery age, with the oldest web readers in their 70s and 80s.
In the US, 51 per cent of web users are female. Though the number of women online is increasing in Europe, researchers predict that the internet will not be used equally by men and women until 2010. "The trend is very slow moving, but is moving towards parity," said Mr Ewing.
The most popular web sites for women are lifestyle sites, such as travel, shopping, education, finance and health. High street retail sites feature heavily in the top 10 most popular sites for female web users in the UK, with clothes store Next.co.uk drawing an almost exclusively female audience of 82.9 per cent.
Retail giants Debenhams and Marks and Spencer proved to be popular online destinations, emphasising the power of brand recognition online.
Gaming website neopets.com also has a high female audience of around 67.85 per cent. Users create virtual pets online and can use games, messaging and auction services on the site.
Source:
http://www.nielsen-netratings.com/
Senior Desk Editor - International News Desk
