Impetus to Chinese female status: service robotics in working time responses

Purpose With the widespread adoption of artificial intelligence, the number of service robotics in China has steadily increased. However, the role of service robotics in promoting female employment and reducing household burdens remains underexplored. This paper aims to determine whether these positive effects exist. Design/methodology/approach This paper utilizes data from the Chinese Household Income Project (CHIP 2013, 2018) and the Chinese General Social Survey (CGSS 2017), along with robot patent data. The analysis employs multiple-level sub-sample regression and Oaxaca–Blinder decomposition to explore the impact of service robotics. Findings The baseline results indicate that a one-unit increase in the number of service robot patents leads to an average increase of 0.493 h in women’s working time, compared to a less significant increase of 0.287 h for men. These findings can be attributed to the reduction of housework burden and the promotion of female empowerment. Regarding the former, both CHIP and CGSS data confirm that service robotics can replace women’s housework time, ease their family burden and change the gender division of labor. For the latter, the Oaxaca–Blinder decomposition results show a reduction in gender wage discrimination, while CGSS data reveal a transformation in gender role attitudes. Originality/value To the best of the authors' knowledge, this paper is the first to empirically examine the dual role of Chinese service robotics in both the household sector and labor market. This empirical study enriches the existing theoretical perspectives on female employment. It highlights the potential of service robotics to enhance women’s employment opportunities, transform family divisions of labor and address gender imbalances.