Women catch up with men on the web, says a new report

The percent of female vs. male Internet users is just about even, says a new report on the demographics of Internet users from New York-based researchers eMarketer. In fact, eMarketer says the mix reflects exactly the population: 49% male, 51% female. Four years ago, 55% of Internet users were male and for years before that the percentage of male users was even higher. The rise of women on the web is one of the reasons that shopping has stayed so strong and why apparel shopping is increasing, say observers. eMarketer also reports that 15% of the population has Internet access only at work and 26% only at home. Primary Internet access is at work for 41% of the population and at home for 55%. Exclusive Internet access occurs at schools, libraries, airports, etc., for 3% of the population. eMarketer estimates that 34% of American households have Internet access.