Why Is It News That More Men Prefer Android Than Women?

You may have noticed various blogs and tweets chattering about the UK survey that claimed men chose Android much more often than women. No big surprise there. I was going to pass on the story, because I’m starting to feel like a broken record on the subject of women and Android, until I started seeing tweets proclaiming “Women hate Android.” Really? Women hate Android? I would love to see that questionnaire, “You buy a new iPhone because A. You like the ads; or B. You hate Android.

At their best, these articles could merely discourage a woman from trying something new, and at their worst it’s sexist propaganda; Android is too much for the ladies, now pass the feature phones please. However, if you take a moment to consider the data as a whole, a new picture emerges.

Across all platforms, women are the minority. Call me crazy, but this seems to indicate women in general are slower at adopting new technology then men. Say, isn’t Android pretty new technology? The lack of popularity with the female gender isn’t nearly so titillating a story now.

So what can be done about this? How about nothing at all? My first thought was to yet again talk up on what can be done to make Android more appealing to women, but then I wondered; why? It’s proven women as a group are a bit behind the guys when it comes to all kinds of tech. Granted, more users overall is good for everyone, but the division will never be 50/50.  It remains to be seen if women will even become faster at adapting; no offense to the tech and Android-savvy female standouts among us. Until then, the easiest and most popular model will be the go-to device for many.

You may think this sounds like the talk of a devil’s advocate, maintaining the status quo. Don’t mistake me, every day I push Android, and cheer for every person, man or woman, who joins team Android. I’m simply being a realist and all the chatter is much ado about nothing.