由網路採用、使用與使用模式三個面向探討台灣性別數位落差

Exploring Gender Digital Divide in Taiwan from the Perspectives of Internet Adoption, Use and Usage Patterns

本研究由網路採用、使用與使用模式三個面向來探討台灣目前性別數位落差情況。本文實證結果顯示性別在網路採用方面並未存在顯著差異。然而，在修正樣本選擇偏誤之後，本文發現台灣女性網路使用時間顯著低於男性。此外，拆解結果進一步顯示網路使用時間之性別差異有34－47％可被兩者之社會經濟差異所解釋，有48－66％是來自性別特定因素。最後，在其他條件不變之下，本研究之模擬結果發現若網路使用時間之性別差異可以被消弭，女性會有較高的機率使用網路搜尋健康與政府資訊，表示加快網路使用時間性別差異的彌合速度對相關單位而言是重要的。 This paper explores gender digital divide in Taiwan from the perspectives of internet adoption, use and usage patterns. Using 2012 Survey of Digital Divide in Taiwan, it is found that gender is not a significant factor determining internet adoption. However, after correcting for Heckman's sample selection bias, the result reveals that females in Taiwan spend less time on internet than do males. The Blinder-Oaxaca decomposition results further suggest that the gender gap in usage time is the mixed product of both socio-economic difference, accounting for 34-47% of the gap, and gender specific factors, accounting for 48-66% of the gap. Finally, all else equal, the simulation shows that females are inclined to use internet for health information and e-government as the gender digital divide in internet use is eliminated, suggesting a boost to the elimination of the gender gap in internet use is important for Taiwanese government.