Digital Gender Gap in the Second Half of Life Is Declining: Changes in Gendered Internet Use Between 2014 and 2021 in Germany

Abstract

Objectives

The main purpose of the study has been to examine changes in Internet use among men and women in 3 age groups (midlife, early old age, and advanced old age) between 2014 and 2021. We tested 2 hypotheses: The complementary hypothesis posits that online activities reproduce gender differences in offline activities. The compensatory hypothesis posits that women are catching up over time in male-typed activities as Internet access approaches saturation for both genders.

Methods

We used representative, longitudinal data from the German Ageing Survey collected in 2014, 2017, 2020, and 2021 ( n = 21,505, age range 46–90 years). We ran logistic regressions on Internet access and Internet use for 4 different gender-typed activities: social contact (female-typed), shopping (gender-neutral), entertainment (male-typed), and banking (male-typed).

Results

Between 2014 and 2021, women drew level with men in Internet access. Gender differences in all 4 forms of Internet use declined considerably between 2014 and 2021. Women overtook men in using the Internet for social contact. In older age groups, men held the lead regarding online banking. During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) crisis, women caught up to men in Internet use, especially for entertainment.

Discussion

Overall time trends support the complementary hypothesis. By contrast, the finding that women have been catching up in some male-typed online activities during the COVID-19 pandemic supports the compensatory hypothesis.