How men and women use email differently
Women are more likely to use email than men and use it for different reasons, according to a recent report from the Pew Internet & American Life Project.
The report, which reviews the Project’s research from March 2000 to September 2005, found that women send and receive email more than men. Some 94% of online women and 88% of online men use email.
Men and women also write about different things and use email in different ways in the work place. Women communicate more with families and friends; men more with special interest groups.
At work women are more likely than men to see email as a positive force for relationship- and team-building.
Women would find it harder to give up email than men.
There’s nothing here to startle, although the report’s apparent confirmation of gender stereotypes is interesting. Detailed findings and charts follow the jump.
The subtitle of the survey’s finding summarises its conclusion:
Men like the internet for the experiences it offers, while women like it for the human connections it promotes.
Men and women differed in the uses they made of email:
More women than men send and receive email, and they use it in a richer and more engaging way. Women are more likely than men to use email to write to friends and family about a variety of topics, from sharing news and worries to planning events to forward jokes and funny stories. Men and women both appreciate email for its efficiencies and convenience, but women are more likely to feel satisfied with the role of email in their lives, especially when it comes to nurturing their relationships.
In the work environment, women used email more both to improve teamwork and to take a break from work altogether:
In emailers’ working life, women are more likely than men to value the positive effects of email for improving relationships, from expanding their circle of colleagues to encouraging
teamwork . Women also value email for a kind of positive, water-cooler effect, which lightens the atmosphere ofoffice life .Men are more likely than women to participate in a big variety of interest groups, like fan clubs or community groups. Men and women both engage with such groups for the hard facts and news they learn online. Women place a higher value than men on what email does for the
relationships within the group.
Despite women using email more and outnumbering men on the Internet, the report found that men were more “intense” about the Internet.
For example, on a typical day, 61% of wired men to go online but only 57% of women. Men also go online more frequently than women — 44% of men go online at least several times a day, compared with 39% of women.
A PDF of the full report is available from Pew Internet’s web site.
Tags: email, gender stereotypes, men, office life, relationships, team-building, teamwork, womenRelated posts
January 7th, 2006 at 3:21 am
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