Do Robots Need to Be Stereotyped? Technical Characteristics as a Moderator of Gender Stereotyping

Abstract

As suggested by previous results, whether, when designing robots, we should make use of social stereotypes and thus perpetuate them is question of present concern. The aim of this study was the identification of the specific conditions under which people's judgments of robots were no longer guided by stereotypes. The study participants were 121 individuals between 18 and 69 years of age. We used an experimental design and manipulated the gender and strength of robots, and we measured the perception of how a robot could be used in automotive mechanics for light and heavy tasks. Results show that the technical characteristics of robots helped to anchor people's judgments on robots' intrinsic characteristics rather than on stereotypical indicators. Thus, stereotype perpetuation does not seem to be the sole option when designing robots.

Why Context Matters: The Influence of Application Domain on Preferred Degree of Anthropomorphism and Gender Attribution in Human–Robot Interaction

“…Unexpectedly and against H10 male names were also chosen more frequently than female ones in the social domain. This latter result indicates a generally stronger association of technology with masculinity than with femininity [22]. Future research needs to investigate this assumption of a possible robot-masculinity bias by comparing the ascribed gender of robots with and without explicit gender cues.…”

“…Nevertheless, the association that is prevalent in all contexts seems to be technical or functional rather than gendered. This is an interesting finding as it challenges the existing trend to gender robots [44] because it is supposed to be socioeconomically profitable [22]. Gendering robots according to human stereotypes is re-enforcing those stereotypes and thus, an ethically questionable approach.…”

“…Overall, research on gender stereotypes in robots reports controversial findings [22]. It is therefore necessary to conduct further systematic research.…”

Gender Stereotyping of Robotic Systems in Eldercare: An Exploratory Analysis of Ethical Problems and Possible Solutions

“…The idea of explaining the robot's functions to avoid any human and gender associations, as for example suggested by Dufour and Ehrwein Nihan [59], can be found in the development of Fraunhofer's care robot Care-O-Bot, which is not described as anthropomorphic but as technomorphic to explain its function and capacity as a machine [60,61]. Neutralization as a method to handle gender stereotyping can be found in several care robots that were deliberately developed and designed to be genderless.…”

“…They will no longer project anthropomorphic characteristics onto the robot to define it as a quasi-human companion but see it as a purely functional technical device. Indeed, some argue that adequate knowledge about the technical characteristics and the presumed suitability for the intended task can reduce stereotypical judgement effects [59].…”