They use it to enrich important relationships and expand their network of associates. More than men, women say they're attached to email and pleased with how it helps them. Gender in Cyberspace Links for more about how the sexes act online. Women's Issues Links for more about women, offline as well as on. The gender split on email is notable, if not vast.
Women are more likely to communicate with parents or grandparents by email.
It's not surprising, since studies have shown women tend to have different communication patterns from men, and generally more socially-oriented interactions. The tenet applies to offline and online communication. Studies of social interaction on the Web have suggested that males sometimes dominate in online chats, with more aggressive patterns of discussion. Linguist Susan Herring, of the University of Texas, found that dominating chat behavior by males included everything from interjecting during others' discourses, to doling out plentiful criticism - and it intimidated females. Women, she noted, preferred a more supportive chat environment and tended to shy away from discussions where aggressive behavior prevailed.