Why AI is women's new power move

"The narrative is familiar: Revolutionary technology arrives, promising to liberate women from domestic drudgery and professional constraints. The electric oven would free housewives from coal-burning stoves. The washing machine would eliminate laundry day. The microwave would make meal preparation effortless. Yet as historian Ruth Schwartz Cowan argued in her landmark book, More Work for Mother, these innovations didn't reduce women's workload. They simply shifted expectations, creating new standards of cleanliness and convenience that often meant more work, not less."

"So when we speak of AI as the solution to professional and personal burdens, skepticism is warranted. After all, technology has repeatedly promised liberation while delivering new forms of constraint. The question isn't whether AI will change professional and personal work; it's whether this change will finally favor women's autonomy rather than merely reorganizing their obligations. Recent data Duckbill collected alongside Harris Poll reveals that 47% of women avoid asking for help to prevent burdening others."

Historical household technologies often raised standards and expectations, which increased rather than reduced women's labor. Similar patterns create skepticism about AI serving as a liberating force for professional and personal burdens. Technology has repeatedly promised liberation while delivering new forms of constraint, making the outcome of AI uncertain. Survey data show 47% of women avoid asking for help to avoid burdening others, 31% of women aged 18–34 procrastinate on booking their own medical appointments, and 76% report feeling they should be doing something even in free time. Reluctance to seek assistance reflects rational responses to structures that penalize women and limit autonomy.

Read at Fast Company