Welcome to the AG community, xera. Is this a cultural or societal study on games in terms of gender issues or is it more towards researching market statistics and demographics only?
It's definitely aimed mostly at men. I practically never see ads for The Sims in magazines like
People or
Us, and was there ever a commercial for a video game shown during
Desperate Housewives or
Oprah, or even during daytime and primetime soap operas? If anything it's a little more likely that publishers will insert ads in younger or more hip women's lifestyle magazines like
Seventeen or
Jane, but even then I'll wager the ratio tilts it very low compared to ads in men's publications.
There's also the technology barrier. Though today's PCs, cell phones, and other gadgets are more user friendly than ever before, there still seems to be a learning curve that a lot women have trouble with. This greatly affects how games, especially tech demanding PC games, are perceived by women. It looks like today's generation of women may be largely tougher to reach because of it, but the next generation is growing up with progressive technology infused well into their lifestyle. They'll be the ones who'll feel more comfortable (but probably never as comfy with it as men), and they'll be more receptive to interactive media.
And then there's the content of games and their actual design, and the fact that there are very few women working deep in the games industry today, but I'll comment on all that after some others here get a word in.