There are indications in literature that women do not engage with security and privacy (SP) technologies, meant to keep them safe online, in the same way as men do. To better understand this gender gap, we conduct an online survey with N=604 U.K. participants, to elicit SP advice source preference and usage of SP methods and technologies. We find evidence of un-equal SP access and participation. In particular, advice from intimate and social connections (ISC) is more prevalent among women, while online content is preferred by men. ISC do not closely associate with nor predict the use of SP technologies, whereas online sources (such as online forums, reviews, specialist pages and technology adverts) and training do. Men are also more likely to use multiple advice sources, that enhances the likelihood of using SP technologies. Women are motivated to approach ISC due to their perceptions of the advisor (such as IT related expertise, experience and trustworthiness) while men approach ISC to evaluate options and seek reassurance for their own practices. This research raises questions about the equity of online safety opportunities and makes recommendations.

翻译：文献表明，女性在采取旨在保障其在线安全的安全与隐私（SP）技术方面，与男性的行为模式存在差异。为深入理解这一性别差距，我们对英国604名参与者进行在线调查，探究SP建议来源偏好及SP方法与技术的使用情况。研究发现，SP技术的获取与参与存在不平等现象：亲密与社会关系（ISC）提供的建议在女性中更为普遍，而男性更偏好在线内容。亲密与社会关系的建议与SP技术使用关联性弱且无法预测其使用，而在线资源（如论坛、评论、专业页面及技术广告）及培训则与使用行为密切相关。男性更倾向于采用多种建议来源，这显著提升了SP技术使用的可能性。女性出于对建议提供者（如IT相关专业知识、经验及可信度）的认知而寻求ISC建议，男性则通过ISC评估选择并为自身实践寻求确认。本研究对在线安全机会的公平性提出质疑，并提出改进建议。