New Delhi: The number of women online users in India has crossed the 12 million mark but they continue to be substantially outnumbered by their male counterparts with 26 million of them clicking the mouse.
Since 2004-05, the percentage of online users in India has increased by 54 per cent to 38.5 million: male online users increased in absolute numbers but clipped from 72 per cent in 2004-05 to 68 per cent in 2005-06.
On the other hand, the number of Internet-savvy women increased to 12.32 million, from 28 per cent in 2004-05 to 32 per cent in 2005-06.
''The estimate for the male-female ratio in the next two years is that it will be closer to the 60:40 ratio but will still result in the absolute numbers of men being higher than women,'' says a new report of the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI).
With India's Internet population poised to reach 100 million by 2007-08, the online male-female ratio is estimated to change to 60:40 by 2007-08 from 68:32, the report points out.
The objective of the research, undertaken by IAMAI in collaboration with Crosstab Marketing Services, was to ascertain the online gender parity with its primary focus on understanding the female demography and their online activities that would help sellers and advertisers design their products in a better manner.
Commenting on the report, IAMAI President Preeti Desal said it was critical to understand different online activities of women for their personal requisites or for work-related needs.
''Both Indian men and women value the Internet for its efficiency and its strength as a gateway to inexhaustible reserve of information and experiences and thus have their own interests and reasons to use web sites,'' the report says.
While 57 per cent women log in from home, 54 per cent access the internet from office, 31 per cent from cyber cafes and four per cent on mobiles.
Meanwhile, 46 per cent of the women users are unmarried while 38 per cent are married with kids. Also, 78 per cent have been using the Internet for three years and they tend to window shop online but are very cautious shoppers.
Further, 34 per cent of women have been using the Internet for more than five to six years, 44 per cent for three to five years, 14 per cent for one to two years and five per cent for six to 11 months.
The report said 24 per cent women surf the net for more than 21 hours a week, 17 per cent for 11-20 hours a week, 29 per cent for five to 10 hours and 21 per cent for up to five hours a week.
Fifty-one per cent of women look up news online as a personal activity and 38 per cent for their professional requirements. Also, 15 per cent of them use the Internet for matrimonial purposes and the number is three per cent higher than men as the medium offers privacy.
Also, 36 per cent of women surf the net for astrological predictions, while the figure for males is 22 per cent.
More women—55 per cent—scour the net for jobs as compared to males (50 per cent). Even in terms of seeking religious and spiritual information, women have a higher percentage—17 per cent for women and 15 per cent for men.
''The findings of the research will help marketers build their online infrastructure, including online sales and communication channel, as women like to discuss and share their experiences with an emphasis on deepening connections with people,'' the report points out.
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