Women in Europe increased their Web usage at a faster rate than men in the past three years, according to a report published by the European Interactive Advertising Association (EIAA)'s Mediascope Europe unit.

Last year, men spent an average 11 hours per week online compared to women who spent an average nine hours per week. While men currently spend more time online, over the past three years men increased internet usage by 54 percent, while women's usage rose 63 percent.

In the last year, TV consumption among European women increased 12 percent, while magazine readership fell 4.5 percent. The shift in media consumption makes the Internet Europe's fastest-growing medium, according to the report.

The increase in Internet usage among women comes mainly from 16 to 24 year-olds. That segment includes young professionals and women with children. The use of the Internet among young professional women increased 116 percent, more than double its growth in 2003. Women with children use the Internet 14 percent more than women outside of this group in Europe.

More women are online today with broadband connections. Sixty percent of women use broadband to go online compared to just 17 percent three years ago. Women have more awareness and understanding of broadband than in previous years. Forty-eight percent of women were not able to report whether or not they had a broadband connection three years ago. Currently, just five percent of women don't know that information.

The report warns, "Advertisers need to recognize how women's use of different media is evolving and the way in which they are interacting with the Internet is becoming increasingly integrated into their lifestyle through blogging, eCommerce and instant messaging."

Data were derived from 7,000 random telephone interviews with 1,000 respondents in the U.K., Germany, France, Spain, Italy and the Nordic countries. Five hundred respondents were in Belgium and the Netherlands. Interviews were conducted between September and October, 2005.