Socio psychological studies show that gender stereotypes play an important role in human-robot interaction. However, they may have various morally problematic implications and consequences that need ethical consideration, especially in a sensitive field like eldercare. Against this backdrop, we conduct an exploratory ethical analysis of moral issues of gender stereotyping in robotics for eldercare. The leading question is what moral problems and conflicts can arise from gender stereotypes in care robots for older people and how we should deal with them. We first provide an overview on the state of empirical research regarding gender stereotyping in human-robot interaction and the special field of care robotics for older people. Starting from a principlist approach, we then map possible moral problems and conflicts with regard to common ethical principles of autonomy, care, and justice. We subsequently consider possible solutions for the development and implementation of morally acceptable robots for eldercare, focusing on three different strategies: explanation, neutralization, and queering of care robots. Finally, we discuss potentials and problems associated with these three strategies and conclude that especially the queering of robotics and the idea of a gender-fluid robot offers an innovative outlook that deserves closer ethical, social, and technological examination.

In the wake of the Coronavirus pandemic, intergenerational solidarity and responsibility have become central points of reference in public discourses. However, the use of these concepts is often unclear and ambivalent: On one hand, older people are described as a vulnerable group whose protection requires sacrifices on the part of younger generations, e.g., regarding individual freedom and economic welfare. On the other, they appear as dispensable individuals that should relinquish their claims for the sake of the young and their future prospects. Our contribution offers an analysis of intergenerational solidarity and responsibility in public discourses on COVID-19. The leading question is how both concepts are used and how the corresponding claims can be justified or criticized. We first give an overview of notions of intergenerational solidarity and responsibility in current debates. In the next step, we provide a moral philosophical clarification of both concepts and their normative presuppositions. We then conduct a descriptive ethical discourse analysis of pertinent cases from three areas of European discourse: politics, civil society, and mass media. The analysis focuses on politico-moral claims and their normative premises, ambiguities, and biases. We argue that the discourse involves assumptions about old age and generational relations that need further clarification and justification. An analysis of intergenerational solidarity and responsibility in times of COVID-19 can help understand the dynamics of social cohesion in late-modern societies.

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Due to demographic aging, the relevance of social robots in eldercare is increasing. Studies indicate that gender stereotypes can play an important role in human-robot interaction and could be used strategically to optimize care processes and outcomes. However, as gender roles among older people become more diverse and societal recognition of different needs and preferences grows, such stereotypical notions appear increasingly problematic. Against this backdrop, our contribution provides an explorative ethical analysis of gender stereotyping in social robotics for eldercare. Starting from a principlist approach, we map potential problems and conflicts and discuss possible solutions for culturally sustainable social robots for eldercare in late-modern pluralistic societies.

ZusammenfassungDer Solidaritätsbegriff gilt für den deutschen Sozialstaat als essentieller, aber inhaltlich umstrittener normativer Bezugspunkt, der durch Prozesse der Digitalisierung auf den Prüfstand gestellt wird. Der vorliegende Beitrag geht der Frage nach, wie der digitale Wandel sich auf Solidarität als Strukturmerkmal und Praxis im deutschen Sozialstaat auswirkt und wie er so gestaltet werden kann, dass Solidarität dennoch im Sozialstaat in der digitalen Konstellation zur Geltung gebracht werden kann.So wird mit einem Fokus auf die Sozialversicherungen zunächst aufgezeigt, wie Solidarität als Strukturmerkmal und als konkrete Praxis im Sozialstaat Bedeutung erlangt. Sodann wird eine machttheoretische Perspektive eingeführt, auf deren Grundlage sich vier Minimalbedingungen für Solidarität formulieren lassen. Diese müssen erfüllt sein, damit legitimerweise von Solidarität in sozialstaatlichen Strukturen gesprochen werden kann. Sie dienen im Folgenden als kritische Heuristik um aufzuzeigen, wie sich die Solidarität im Sozialstaat angesichts des digitalen Wandels darstellt. Hier werden das Self-Tracking und die Gig Economy als Beispiele genutzt, um paradigmatisch die Veränderungen im Gesundheitswesen und in der Arbeitswelt aufzuzeigen. Dabei werden sowohl Risiken einer Entsolidarisierung wie auch Potenziale für neue Solidaritäten deutlich. In einem letzten Schritt wird skizziert, wie der digitale Wandel gestaltet werden kann, um Solidarität als Strukturmerkmal und als Praxis im Sozialstaat in der digitalen Konstellation zu erhalten.