I write about consumer electronics for a living, and I'm a woman.

Four years ago, I was the only person at my company who could say that. Today, that's changed, both at my job, and in the world in general. Women are taking a greater interest in, and have a more sophisticated understanding of, electronics than ever before. At least, that's what the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) has found.


In conjunction with the 2004 Consumer Electronics Show and its "Technology is a Girl's Best Friend" sub-theme, CEA released their most recent findings on consumer demographics, and what they uncovered surprised many retailers. Along with many other, more specific discoveries (women are early adopters; a majority of women buy electronics for themselves, rather than as a gift for others), they determined that "women are involved in 89 percent of all consumer electronics purchase decisions" (statistic from a January 6 CEA press release).

This finding conflicts sharply with the male-centric approach most manufacturers and retailers use to market their gear. That approach was based on a fairly durable stereotype: that of the gear-happy guy, trying to upgrade his stereo — and often coming up against a wife who objected, "I don't want my nice living room full of those bulky speakers!" And, once, that stereotype wasn't necessarily an unfair one — in 1998, only 40% of consumer electronics purchases were initiated exclusively by women. Today, women are said to spend $55 billion yearly on electronics — that's over half of the $96 billion spent yearly on electronics. So what's changed?

Different gear, different mindsets
Well, here's one possibility: the electronics themselves have changed. Tower speakers are no longer considered de rigueur for good, engrossing sound. Instead, there are attractive bookshelf speakers, systems of tiny satellites paired with discreet subs — even in-wall and in-ceiling speakers that melt into the background.

Video gear is different too. To get a big-screen TV, you no longer have to buy a heavy projection CRT set that needs regular technician visits. Instead, there are slim on-wall sets, or DLP and LCD projection models that, while large, are actually pretty slender compared to primitive big-screen behemoths. It seems like an obvious conclusion, then, that form factor is making a difference, winning A/V gear a place in even the most décor-conscious living room.

Of course, other factors may be at work as well. Take, for example, the shift in how technology is perceived. Baby boomers who were born when computers took up whole buildings, or at least entire rooms, now use sleek personal PCs every day for business or fun. Those boomers' children grew up with personal computers, and pass around digital photos and digital music like they're swapping baseball cards. On the A/V front, you can now get an entire surround sound system — receiver, DVD player, five speakers, a subwoofer, even color-coded cables — in a single box.

Overall, technology has gotten less scary, less geeky, and more accessible, as people of both sexes realize, "I can do this." It doesn't seem like a huge leap to tie the increasing presence of women consumers to this shift.

But that's a pretty unscientific assessment; instead, let's turn again to more objective market data. The CEA survey, based on phone surveys of 1002 consumers, and conducted in partnership with Rockbridge Associates, noted that women have very positive reactions to specific technology areas, like HDTV, cell phones, and digital photography. For example, 48% of women own a digital camera! It also discovered that fully 84% of women believe that new technologies can help improve their lives.

Other, more specific studies identified changes in technology trends. The Pew Internet and American Life Project, for example, found that about as many college women as college men played video games, while slightly more college women played computer games than college men. And in August 2003, the Entertainment Software Association released results of a poll showing that while 38% of gamers are men 18 or older, 26% of gamers are women, and only 21% are boys between 6 and 17.

This kind of information, combined with CEA's recent survey, seems to show that women are becoming informed and involved in technology areas where they once had little or no presence. It's an exciting trend.