Gender and information and communication technologies (ICT) anxiety: male self-assurance and female hesitation.
This article presents the results of a quantitative study (n = 1,058) of the gender divide in ICT attitudes. In general, females had more negative attitudes towards computers and the Internet than did men. Results indicate a positive relationship between ICT experience and ICT attitudes. This experience is measured by period of time using a computer and self-perceived computer and Internet experience. Further analyses on the impact of gender on this correlation of ICT experience and ICT attitudes were conducted by means of a multivariate model. General Linear Model (GLM) analysis revealed that there was a significant effect of gender, computer use, and self-perceived computer experience on computer anxiety attitudes, as well as several significant interaction effects. Males were found to have less computer anxiety than females; respondents who have used computers for a longer period of time and respondents with a higher self-perception of experience also show less computer anxiety. However, the GLM plot shows that the influence of computer experience works in different ways for males and females. Computer experience has a positive impact on decreasing computer anxiety for men, but a similar effect was not found for women. The model was also tested for computer liking and Internet-liking factors.
Broos
Agnetha
A
Department of Communication, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium. agnetha.broos@soc.kuleuven.ac.be
D000328:Adult; D001007:Anxiety / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D001290:Attitude; D003142:Communication; D003197:Computer Literacy; D003201:Computers; D003710:Demography; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012737:Sex Factors