Internet use in Switzerland differs according to gender
Internet use and its frequency differ significantly by gender in Switzerland. However, this is particularly the case for people aged 60 and over. The latest survey by the Federal Statistical Office shows that gender equality has not yet been achieved in the relevant education and professions across all age groups.
Across all age groups, men in Germany use the internet more frequently than women. The proportion of men who have used the internet in the last three months is 98.2%. For women, the figure is 96.5%, as reported by the Federal Statistical Office (FSO) on Tuesday.
In addition, men use the internet more frequently on a daily or almost daily basis (93.4%) than women, who according to the FSO use it 89.9% of the time. The differences are even greater when only intensive Internet use is considered: While 80.2% of men stated that they use the internet several times a day, this figure is only 75.6% for women.
However, these differences are exclusively attributable to the 60+ age group, the FSO added. Within the other age groups between 15 and 59, no notable difference was found between the sexes.
Gap widens for older people
The same applies to advanced digital skills: In the age groups between 15 and 59, the FSO found no significant differences between men and women in the areas of advanced "information and data skills", "communication and collaboration", "problem solving", "security" and "content creation".
In terms of educational level, the only significant difference between women and men is in the digital skills for "content creation". In this area, men with a tertiary degree are more likely to have advanced skills than women with the same level of education.
Meanwhile, there are major gender-specific differences in the area of advanced digital skills among people aged 60 and over. In almost all areas mentioned, fewer women than men in this age group have such skills.
Marked inequality in occupations
The FSO survey also states that gender equality has not yet been achieved in the relevant training courses and professions. And this applies across all age groups. The low representation of women in the so-called STEM professions has existed for a long time. MINT stands for mathematics, information technology, natural sciences and technology.
Most recently, there were proportionally almost eight times as many men as women who obtained a tertiary degree in the field of information and communication technology (ICT) in Switzerland. Consequently, there is still great potential for improvement with regard to a more balanced gender ratio of qualifications and specialists in the ICT sector.
This can also be seen in the example of programming code: Among 16- to 24-year-olds, men were proportionally much more likely to have programmed code than women in 2023. 28.2 percent of 16 to 24-year-old men in Switzerland stated that they had written programming code - compared to 14.3 percent of women in the same age group. According to the FSO, one explanation for the differences could be the gender-specific distribution of the youngest population groups across different educational careers and fields.
Digitization can amplify effects on both sides
One way or another, digital change affects the whole of humanity. However, its effects are not felt equally by everyone, writes the FSO. Women and men do not participate equally in the development of digital technologies, which are always associated with certain values. (SDA/swi)
