Women between the ages of 15 and 48 in the US watch TV and use an internet-connected computer simultaneiously for an average of 17.5 minutes per day, compared with only 15.7 minutes of same-time TV and computer use for men, according to (pdf) data released by Integrated Media Measurement Inc. (IMMI).
The highest simultaneous television/internet usage was among females 30-39, at 23.3 minutes per day, more than double that of males in the same age group, at 10.6 minutes.
The data also shows that simultaneous usage of men starts strong but decreases as they approach their 40s, while women exhibit the opposite behavior. This, IMMI said, corresponds to the heavy-duty child rearing years and the need for women to be able to do more things at one time.
“Considering the amount of sports-related programming that connects the Web to television, it was surprising to see the highest simultaneous usage was among adult women,” said Amanda Welsh, head of research for IMMI. “Our interpretation of this is that women are more inclined to multi-task than men, particularly when in the home balancing their personal and professional lives.”
After age 40, the level of simultaneous usage is similar between men and women.
About the research: The study was implemented through a special research panel built by IMMI to capture internet as well as TV and radio consumption.
