Men are more likely to surf personal websites - including adult sites - at work, according to a study published this week.
Sixty-five percent of men surveyed said they access non-work sites while on the job, in comparison to 58 percent of women.
Of that group, participating men said they spent 2.3 hours per week on personal websites, while women said they spend 1.5 hours per week on personal sites, according to a Websense’s 2006 WebWork Employee survey.
“The results of the 2006 WebWork Employee survey illuminate some of the differences between how men and women use the internet at work,” said Michael Newman, vice president and general counsel at Websense. “However, one significant similarity show in the survey is that both genders can easily be lured in by the internet for its sheer entertainment value or as a resource to complete personal solutions.”
Seventy-three percent of men said they access government-related websites, as opposed to 65 percent of women. Fifty-two percent of men said they visit personal email sites at work, as opposed to 45 percent of women.
Twice as many men than women have accessed pornography through their work PCs. Sixteen percent of men who access the internet at work said they have visited an adult site, as opposed to 8 percent of women.
Women also appear to be more vulnerable to spyware at work, according to the study. Forty-five percent of women said their PCs have been negatively affected by spyware, while only 35 percent of men said so.
