Online, though, it’s a somewhat different story.
eMarketer estimates that in 2008, there were 19.5 million males and 18.6 million females in the UK using the Internet.
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Males will retain their majority online for the next five years. But as more women ages 55 and older become Internet users - and redress the marked dominance of men in this online age group - the male bias in the Web population will decrease, from 51.1% in 2008 to 50.5% in 2013.
"Obviously, in absolute numbers, the gap between men and women online in the UK is not great," says Karin von Abrams, eMarketer senior analyst and author of the new report, UK Men Online. "But if you look closely at what the genders tend to do online, you find many differences that markets should consider."
The online activities of male Internet users in the UK are evolving.
"Beyond news and shopping, other longstanding favorites, such as e-mail and search, remain popular," says Ms. von Abrams. "Portals are also among men’s most-visited sites."
According to comScore Media Metrix, social networks saw the largest gains with UK men, attracting 11% more unique male visitors in November 2008 than in November 2007.
"This trend might be partly a reaction to the economic downturn, as men reassess their professional and personal contacts in light of new pressures and challenges," says Ms. von Abrams.
In fact, the arrival of the recession in the UK may have raised Internet use more among men than women, because men have historically shown greater interest in accessing news and financial information on the Web.
"This impulse is all the greater for men who are wage earners, manage their families’ finances, are in danger of losing their jobs or need to find new ones," says Ms. von Abrams.
