New research by the University of Glamorgan, Wales, suggests that men and women view the Internet in different ways. Research found that, in almost all instances, men and women preferred sites designed by their someone of their own gender. Gloria Moss, a research fellow at Glamorgan's business school, and statistician Rod Gunn found that the web design of 94% of the sites displayed a masculine orientation. Just 2% displayed a typically female bias in their web design.
Seventy four per cent of the web sites were produced by a man or a male team, while just 7% were designed by a female or female team. Even 78% of female sites were created by men. If we really do prefer web design by our own gender, then women are certainly getting short shrift.
I realise that I am in danger of being seen as a man-basher - which I am not, but surely this research is a call to arms for more women to enter web design. But is it just that women are as interested in web design as in other areas of design? I would welcome any comments from female web designers.
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