The electrical characterization of hydrogenated amorphous silicon oxide (a-SiOx:H) films was performed by electron spin resonance (ESR) and electrical conductivity measurements. In the ESR spectra of the a-SiOx:H films, two ESR peaks with g-values of 2.005 and 2.013 were observed. The ESR peak with the g-value of 2.013 was not observed in the ESR spectra of a-Si:H films. The photoconductivity of the a-SiOx:H films decreased with increasing spin density estimated from the ESR peak with the g-value of 2.005. On the other hand, photoconductivity was independent of spin density estimated from the ESR peak with the g-value of 2.013. The optical absorption coefficient spectra of the a-SiOx:H films were also measured. The spin density estimated from the ESR peak with the g-value of 2.005 increased proportionally with increasing optical absorption owing to the gap-state defect. (C) 2015 The Japan Society of Applied Physics