Smart Home Masculinities and Emphasized Femininity

Homes are often deeply rooted in gendered spaces where labor, care, technology management, and household responsibilities are unevenly distributed and divided. These deeply rooted gendered spaces have evolved beyond the private domain. The development of smart home technology has led to the emergence of "smart home masculinities" and has emphasized femininity in the realm of technology required for household chores.

The concept of a "smart wife" and the use of feminine names for AI-generated technologies like Siri and Alexa exemplify how these technologies reinforce the gendered division of household labor. This is a significant issue as these portrayals can influence our interactions with devices, robots, and AI, which subsequently shape our behavior toward people, especially women.

This paper analyzes households' experiences with smart home technology through the lens of three concepts central to the home: protection, productivity, and pleasure. It argues that smart home technology reinforces emphasized femininity, a social construct that aligns women's behaviors with male interests, often manifesting as traits like passivity, nurturance, and submissiveness. The study aims to investigate how smart home technologies influence gender roles in households and the experiences of users regarding protection, productivity, and pleasure.

The study will use a mixed-methods approach, including qualitative interviews to gather personal insights and surveys to quantify attitudes. This comprehensive methodology will reveal the interplay between smart home innovations and gender dynamics in domestic settings.

The findings indicate that smart home technologies reinforce traditional gender roles by perpetuating the notion of women as primary caregivers, thus maintaining unequal labour divisions. The feminine branding of devices like Siri and Alexa further emphasizes these stereotypes. Additionally, user experiences reveal concerns about privacy and security, particularly for women, highlighting the need for inclusive design that addresses diverse household dynamics and promotes gender equality in domestic spaces.