Objective. This paper evaluates differences in men's and women's presence on the Internet, testing for the presence of gender-specific causes for different rates of Internet use. Methods. The paper presents new survey data collected by the author in 1996, 1998, and 1999 showing trends in Internet use, and presents regression models of Internet access and use. Results. Two statistically significant gender gaps exist on the Internet: in access and in use. The access gap is not the product of gender-specific factors, but is explained by socioeconomic and other differences between men and women. The use gap is the result of both socioeconomics and some combination of underlying gender-specific phenomena. Conclusions. Around one-half of the digital divide between men and women on the Internet is fundamentally gender related. Several possible causes may explain this phenomenon.
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