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Journals / Nevşehir Hacı Bektaş Veli Üniversitesi SBE Dergisi / 2026 / Sayı: YZ (AI) ve Gelecek Perspektifler Özel Sayı

Savior or new burden? A phenomenological study on the transformation of women’s domestic labor in the age of artificial intelligence

Kurtarıcı mı, yeni yük mü? Yapay zekâ çağında kadınların ev içi emeğinin dönüşümü üzerine fenomenolojik bir inceleme

Gıyasettin Yıldız(HARRAN ÜNİVERSİTESİ)0000-0001-5191-509X
Pages
1–22
Publication Date
2025-12-07
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AI Summary & Key Takeaways

AI Insight
⚡ TL;DR(Too Long; Didn't Read)

The findings reveal the complex and contradictory dynamics that AI creates in the domestic sphere: On the one hand, technology alleviates women’s physical labor burden and opens up new time spaces for them, while on the other hand, it brings new mental burdens such as “managerial labor” and “digital caregiving”.

📌 3 Key Takeaways

🎯
Objective & Hypothesis:This article uses a phenomenological approach to examine the multi-layered effects of artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled home technologies on the everyday life experiences of women in Şanlıurfa, a city in Turkey known for its traditional and patriarchal structure.
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Key Findings & Data:Drawing on feminist technology studies, domestication of technology and invisible labor theories, this study is based on in-depth interviews with 25 women.
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Conclusion & Impact:The findings reveal the complex and contradictory dynamics that AI creates in the domestic sphere: On the one hand, technology alleviates women’s physical labor burden and opens up new time spaces for them, while on the other hand, it brings new mental burdens such as “managerial labor” and “digital caregiving”.
🔬Design:Araştırma Makalesi
📍Scope:Comprehensive Sample
⚙️Variables:Yapay Zekâ · Ev İçi Emek · Toplumsal Cinsiyet

Abstract

This article uses a phenomenological approach to examine the multi-layered effects of artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled home technologies on the everyday life experiences of women in Şanlıurfa, a city in Turkey known for its traditional and patriarchal structure. Drawing on feminist technology studies, domestication of technology and invisible labor theories, this study is based on in-depth interviews with 25 women. The findings reveal the complex and contradictory dynamics that AI creates in the domestic sphere: On the one hand, technology alleviates women’s physical labor burden and opens up new time spaces for them, while on the other hand, it brings new mental burdens such as “managerial labor” and “digital caregiving”. It has also been observed that technology is used as an “excuse” for men to withdraw from housework responsibilities, but it also opens the door to a “selective” male participation based on technological curiosity. Women’s “domestication” of these devices by personifying them and forming emotional bonds with them shows that technology is not only a functional tool but also a social actor. By analyzing a global technological phenomenon in a local context through an intersectionality lens, the study reveals that technology both reproduces and negotiates gender roles and makes an original contribution to the literature.

Özet

Bu makale, yapay zekâ (YZ) destekli ev teknolojilerinin, Türkiye’nin geleneksel ve ataerkil yapısıyla bilinen Şanlıurfa ilindeki kadınların gündelik yaşam deneyimleri üzerindeki çok katmanlı etkilerini fenomenolojik bir yaklaşımla incelemektedir. Feminist teknoloji çalışmaları, teknolojinin evcilleştirilmesi ve görünmez emek kuramlarından beslenen bu çalışma, 25 kadınla yapılan derinlemesine görüşmelere dayanmaktadır. Bulgular, YZ’nin ev içi alanda yarattığı karmaşık ve çelişkili dinamikleri ortaya koymaktadır: Teknoloji, bir yandan kadınların fiziksel emek yükünü hafifletip onlara yeni zaman alanları açarken, diğer yandan “yönetimsel emek” ve “dijital bakıcılık” gibi yeni zihinsel yükler getirmektedir. Ayrıca, teknolojinin erkeklerin ev işi sorumluluğundan çekilmesi için bir “bahane” olarak kullanıldığı, ancak aynı zamanda teknolojik meraka dayalı “seçici” bir erkek katılımına da kapı araladığı gözlemlenmiştir. Kadınların, bu cihazları kişileştirerek ve onlarla duygusal bağlar kurarak “evcilleştirmesi”, teknolojinin sadece işlevsel bir araç değil, aynı zamanda sosyal bir aktör olduğunu göstermektedir. Çalışma, küresel bir teknolojik olguyu, kesişimsel (intersectionality) bir mercekle yerel bir bağlamda analiz ederek, teknolojinin toplumsal cinsiyet rollerini hem yeniden ürettiğini hem de müzakereye açtığını ortaya koymakta ve literatüre özgün bir katkı sunmaktadır.

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Cite This Article

Yıldız, G. (2025). Savior or new burden? A phenomenological study on the transformation of women’s domestic labor in the age of artificial intelligence. Nevşehir Hacı Bektaş Veli Üniversitesi SBE Dergisi, Sayı: YZ (AI) ve Gelecek Perspektifler Özel Sayı, 1–22. https://doi.org/10.30783/nevsosbilen.1742030

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