So that’s why online publishers are scrambling to offer female-friendly content. Some 19.2 million women will go online this year - 6.7 percent more than 2007, eMarketer’s latest report reckons. The female online population is expected to grow by 14.6 percent by 2012 - more than the 12.3 percent expected of both males and females combined. By that time, women will make up a majority at 51.3 percent.

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We already knew females between 25 and 49 spend more time online than their male counterparts. It’s currently all about the younger generation - eMarketer observes females between 18 and 34 already make up 35 percent of the female online population despite only comprising 21.3 percent of the general female populace. But older generations are set to pile on, too - by 2012, 64.8 percent of online females will be 18 to 49 and those over 55 will make up 25 percent; girls under 17 will make up just 10 percent.

Yahoo (NSDQ: YHOO) this week launched its female-centric Shine portal, while Emap (LSE: EMA) and IPC have been busy consolidating their women’s magazine brands in to online portals.