The “2009 Social Media Study” from BlogHer, iVillage and Compass Partners found that women are turning to all sorts of social media for fun, entertainment, community and connection.

More than one-half (53%) of the US female Internet population of 79 million actively participated in some type of social media at least weekly.

Of the female social media participants, 75% took part in social networking and 55% used blogs.

Nearly 23 million of the social media users read blogs.

But many women went beyond merely reading: 12 million posted to blogs and 8 million published them.

In fact, women who used blogs were more than twice as likely to do so when they were seeking information, advice and recommendations than were women who participated in social networking.

When providing advice or contributing to a community, more women also turned to blogs than social networks.

“The scale of social media usage among US women continues to grow, and blogs remain the go-to resource for those who want to gather information, share ideas and get reliable advice,” said Elisa Camahort Page, COO of BlogHer.

Note: To read an excerpt of Ms. Camahort Page’s eMarketer interview, click here.

Women are so enthusiastic about reading and writing blogs, they are stealing time from other media to spend more in the blogosphere and on social network sites.

“Bloggers represent a highly engaged and influential segment of social media users for brand marketers looking to connect to consumers online,” said Susan Wright, president of Compass Partners.