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
Domain | Unique Female Audience (000) | Female % of Total Audience | Category |
www.next.co.uk | 234 | 82.9 | Shopping |
www.neopets.com | 183 | 67.9 | Gaming |
www.gus-secure.co.uk | 241 | 65.3 | Shopping |
www.marksandspencer.com | 255 | 57.2 | Shopping |
www.debenhams.com | 250 | 54.3 | Shopping |
www.abbeynational.co.uk | 261 | 49.2 | Finance |
www.mytravel.com | 241 | 49.2 | Travel |
www.ox.ac.uk | 239 | 47.1 | Education |
www.ivillage.co.uk | 324 | 46.6 | Women's Portal |
www.tesco.net | 265 | 46.4 | Shopping |
All articles 2006-23 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas unless otherwise stated.
Register (free) for Daily Research News
REGISTER FOR NEWS EMAILS
To receive (free) news headlines by email, please register online