According to The 2009 Women in Social Media Study by BlogHer, iVillage and Compass Partners, 64% of women are nearly twice as likely to use blogs than social networking sites as a source of information, 43% for advice and recommendations and 55% for opinion-sharing, while they 75% are 50 percent more likely to turn to social networking sites as a means of keeping in touch with friends and family.
Since the release of last year’s Benchmark Study, women are turning in even greater numbers to blogs (55%), social networks (75%) and online status updating (20%) as primary sources of community interaction, entertainment and information.
Participation by Active US Women in Social Media (Millions)
Age GroupMM OnlineMM Participate in Social Media
Millenials (18-26)13.39.7
GenX (27-43)25.015.4
Boomers (44-62)28.913.3
Matures (63-77)11.93.6
Source: Compass Partners, May 2009

Of the 42 million women engaged in social media weekly:
55% of women participate in some form of blogging activity
75% participate in social networks such as Facebook or MySpace
20% use Twitter
45% of survey respondents decided to purchase an item after reading about it on a blog
Susan Wright, President of Compass Partners LLC., says “Bloggers have a broad reach in the social media population… women who blog are the most actively engaged social media participants.. seeking out new ideas and ways to share their opinions… ”
As a result of this increased activity, the 2009 study found that women online are now more than ever before spending less time engaging in traditional media activities like:
Reading the newspaper (39%)
Reading magazines (36%)
Listening to the radio (31%)
Watching TV (30%)
Talking on the phone (28%)
Meeting in person (19%)
The demographic profile of social media users and blog participants in the general population provides a targeting clue:
Demographic Profile (% of General Population)
DemographicAny Social Media UserPublish or Post a Blog
Married/Living together60%57%
Number in HH (actual number)3.13.2
Children at home4451
Employed full time2727
Education
High school or less2321
Tech or trade school graduate66
Some college/university2221
College/university grad2221
Post grad work44
Master/doctorate degree76
Income ($)
< $25,0002324
25-34.91517
35-49.92018
50-74.92021
75-99.9119
100-124.966
> 12555
Source: Source: Compass Partners, May 2009

The Executive Summary (PDF format) of the 2009 Women in Social Media Study by BlogHer, iVillage and Compass Partners.