Differences in Actual and Perceived Online Skills: The Role of Gender

The literature on gender and technology use finds that women and men differ significantly in their attitudes toward their technological abilities. Concurrently, existing work on science and math abilities of students suggests that such perceived differences do not always translate into actual disparities. We examine the yet-neglected area concerning gender differences with respect to Internet-use ability. In particular, we test how self-perceived abilities are related to actual abilities and how these may differ by gender. Copyright (c) 2006 Southwestern Social Science Association.

Introduction

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/68019/2/10.1177_0013124590023001001.pd