It had to happen sometime...and that sometime is now: You see, while women have outnumbered men on this planet for some time now, the Internet-surfing masses have always skewed towards the yang side of the equation. Well, the ranks of the fairer sex online have been swelling, and it seems that women, for the first time, outnumber men in online population as well as physical...at least in the United States. CBC News reports that a comprehensive survey by eMarketer.com puts women at 51.7% of the US online population this year. The CBC goes on to say that the number of US women online has increased by 12.4% since 2000 as compared to a meagre 3.2% increase for men over the same period of time.
eMarketer's findings have been echoed by at least six other recent surveys, however, women haven't conquered the internet the world over. The US trend is not necessarily mirrored worldwide, especially in countries where the gender gap contributes to limited access to technology for women, but similar increases in female online population have been seen in many countries, suggesting that the upward trend is a global phenomenon, even if the female online population in most countries has not passed the 50% mark as it has in the states. Of course, this particular study doesn't address the fact that men spend most of their days surfing for porn, but that's a post for another day.
Tipping Point
More Women than Men Online in 2007
Trend Themes
1. Female Majority - A growing population of women online presents an opportunity for female-centric tech innovation.
2. Gender Technology Access - Limited gender access to technology in some countries creates an opportunity for innovation and technology to address this issue.
3. Shifting Demographic Landscape - As the demographic landscape shifts, there is an opportunity for brands to embrace diversity within their approach and offerings.
Industry Implications
1. Technology - Technology companies can develop solutions that cater to the growing majority of female online users, as well as address gender-based technology disparity issues.
2. Marketing - Brands can help shape more inclusive campaigns and messaging to better engage with the shifting demographic landscape of online users.
3. Media - Media companies can create content that addresses the interests and experiences of female online users and their growing influence on the digital landscape.