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Here are the main findings of a study presented by Médiamétrie at the last UDECAM (Media Consultancy and Buying Association) meeting.

In 2016, according to Médiamétrie’s Media in Life study, women aged 13 and older had 42.2 media and multimedia contacts daily, i.e. 35% more than they had 11 years ago. This progression in media consumption by women can be largely explained by their increased contacts with multimedia and digital leisure activities: contacts with the Internet have risen from 1.4 to 4.6 per day. Nevertheless, taking the female population as a whole, TV remains the leading digital contact with 16.2 daily contacts, followed by radio (8.1 contacts).

“Millennial” women prefer mobile

Young women from the Millennial generation (13-34 years old) are driving these usage changes. Their media consumption is unique, both in comparison to the total female population and compared to all Millennials. Women aged 13-34 have more contacts with content via mobile phones (13.1) than women as a whole (6.1 contacts) and than Millennials (11.6 contacts). They have fewer contacts with television (10.7 contacts) than the female population as a whole (16.2 contacts), but more than Millennials (9.7 contacts). On the other hand, they are less active in other digital leisure activities and the internet than the population of 13-34 year olds.

Of the four screens, mobile phones are the clear favourite of “Millennial” women. A generation that is indeed a disparate one. Women aged 13-17 are fans of video and music on any device; the 18-24 age group make more contacts with their mobile phone for communication and surfing the internet. As for older Millennial women (25-34 years old), they are more likely to use the internet and the press.

Radio – more listeners than ever in the car

Radio remains the media for the working population, both men and women. And contrary to what we might think, the radio audience has had a slight female predominance over the last four years , and the percentage of women listeners continues to increase over time. During the period September 2016–June 2017, women represented 50.4% of the daily audience. For the most part, they continue to listen to the radio at home (57.4%), but the share of women listening in their cars has increased by 9 percentage points since 2002, compared to just 7 points for the population as a whole.

More women watching TV

Considering the female population as a whole, the television remains the most in demand media, with 16.2 daily contacts. Women spend 4hrs 09mins daily watching TV, whereas the average viewing time for the population aged 15 years and older is 4hrs 02mins. One particular reason for this is that fewer women are employed; therefore, economically inactive women account for 56.5% of the female television audience, whereas the figure for men who are economically inactive is just 45%. In terms of the programmes watched, according to Médiamat TV ratings, women tend to lean most towards fiction and game shows. They are also interested in television news and sport.

Women love fiction and are also film buffs. At the cinema, they represent 52% of the movie audience (cinemagoers) and 52% of theatre admissions (number of tickets sold). This share increases with age.

Women love using mobile internet

In May 2017, of the 45.8 million web users counted, 51% were women- the equivalent of their share in the population. In terms of their digital usage, they do have particular preferences regarding the device used for browsing. They are keener on mobile screens than the computer, and much more so than men: women viewed the internet on their mobile phone for 26hrs 10mins in May 2017 (22hrs 4mins for men) and on their tablet for 1hr 52mins (1hr 26mins for men). However, there are big variances in usage depending on age: women under 35 used their mobile phones much more often (33hrs 13mins) than women over 50 (17hrs 30mins). The trend for tablet use is the opposite: women over 50 spent 2hrs 20mins in May 2017 (Source: Médiamétrie/NetRatings), which was 38 minutes longer than women under 35.

The sites visited by women on their mobiles are similar to those they browse on the internet in general (via computer, smartphone and tablet): online shopping, social networks and instant messaging, media, cookery, health and practical tips. The Top 20 mobile apps and websites with more than 1 million unique visitors of whom more than 55% are women also include women’s special interest media and an app for leisure and going out. As with their use of the media in general, women use the internet to communicate, stay informed and optimise their daily lives.

Florence Bourgade

Women in the 21st century There are 34 million women in France. This is just over half (51.5%) of the total population. According to the INSEE national statistics institute in France, 23.3% of them are under 20, and 56.6% are aged between 20 and 64 years old. Their way of life and occupations have evolved too. We already know that women work more nowadays than they did before: only 14% of women living with a partner are “housewives”; whereas, 25 years ago, this was the case for almost 1 in 4 women (24%). The latest generations are studying for longer than their elders did: 71.3% of women aged between 25-34 years old have a Baccalaureate qualification and 27.9% have graduated after three years of higher education (vs. 33.1% and 9.7% respectively of 55-64 year olds). They are also now more likely than men to hold a qualification (the opposite is true for the 55-64 age group): 28% have a higher education diploma vs. 24% of men. The employment rate among women aged 15-64 in France grew from 64% in 2005 to 68% in 2015, positioning France in 15th place in Europe. As well as there being more women numerically, more women in work, and more women graduates, in the last 25 years, women have also gained 30 minutes extra free time. They do 1hr 6mins less daily domestic chores (cooking, cleaning, laundry, shopping), although they still do a lot more than men (+1hr 48 mins).