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The Intensity of Computer Use

What is the intensity of computer use in Canadian Workplaces? Is the level of intensity the same for men and women?

To answer these and other questions, Hughes, Lowe, and Schellenberg (2003) developed three measures of the intensity of computer use in Canada based on data from the 2000 General Social Survey. This allows us to identify ‘high intensity’ or regular users of computers, e-mail, and the internet at work, ‘moderate intensity’ users who sometimes use applications at work, and ‘low intensity’ users who use these technologies rarely or not at all at work.

As the table below shows, just over half of Canadian workers are moderate or high intensity users of computer technology at work. At an aggregate level, men and women report similar levels of intensity of computer use at work. Fifty-three percent of men and 57 percent of women are moderate or high intensity IT users.

 

A Small Majority of Canadian Workers Are Moderate or High Intensity Users
Of Computer Technology, Both Men and Women
Frequency of Computer Technology Use in the Workplace in the Previous Month, by Gender, Canada 2000
Low Intensity Moderate Intensity High Intensity Total
  Men 47.1 26.1 26.8 100.0%
  Women 42.6 33.2 24.2 100.0%
  Total 45.1 29.3 25.6 100.0%
Source: Statistics Canada General Social Survey (2000)
as reported by Hughes, Lowe, and Schellenberg (2003).
 

Gender differences in the intensity of computer use are more evident when specific occupational groups are considered. As the chart below indicates, in all occupational groups, with the exception of clerical positions, women are less likely than men to be high intensity users of IT. The gender gap is most evident in professional occupations outside of business and science (a gap of 22 percentage points) and in technical occupations (a gap of 18 percentage points).

 

Women are less likely to Be High Intensity Users of IT in all Occupations,
Except Clerical Positions
Source: Statistics Canada General Social Survey (2000)
as reported by Hughes, Lowe, and Schellenberg (2003).
 

These findings of lower intensity computer use by women by occupation are consistent with other research on the impact of computer use (see Impact of Information Technology) In many ‘knowledge worker’ jobs - such as management, professional, and technical fields – men are more likely than women to report that IT has had an impact on their jobs and that they use IT more regularly in their jobs. The reasons for this gap between men and women regarding the impact and intensity of use of IT cannot be determined from these data and deserves further investigation.

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