Gender Divide in ASFR

[Grendizer]

So let me preface by saying that you shouldn't take any of my anecdotal musings as fact, but rather just that -- anecdotal musings. They're based on superficial observations.

Having said that, there seems to be an obvious gender imbalance in ASFR. Shocking, I know.

But my point isn't to belabor the obvious, but to point out something that dawned on me about it and ask if anyone else had considered this point. Again, it isn't statistical in any way, but it seems that a significant number of female ASFR enthusiasts are more into the transformation side of things. I wonder if this has to do with our (Western) culture's obsession with female image? Notice I said "image" and not just "body image." I wonder if the desire to be transformed has to do with making oneself "perfect" for a prospective partner, inside and outside. Most guys I know don't concern themselves with this on the level of body image, beyond a bit of exercise and hygiene, as opposed to their internal landscape. Men, to a large degree, don't wish to be a partner so much as they want to have a partner. It seems to be the difference between nest-building and nest-finding, if that makes any sense. The nest-building men do often has more to do with material acquisition, rather than self-improvement.

Another point may simply be that women are often looking for something which a robot isn't likely to provide until such machines can't at all be distinguished from humans. What this is varies, but I do read this sentiment on blogs. The notion is that sexbots will be a male-dominated industry, just as pornography is, based on the assumption (I presume) that what the average guy is looking for in a woman is, at the very least, easier to get from a currently envisioned machine. Perhaps this is born out by industry trends, but it could also be an artifact of culture, instead of biology. I'm unsure.

Thoughts?

[dale coba]

Predominantly male-dominated, but maybe only 80/20, especially if the women of this country get equal pay for equal work.

Any woman who has a private, discreet relationship with her vibrator could easily envision the advantages, even if her malebot would need to be hidden deep in her closet, when not in use.

- Dale Coba

[Grendizer]

So that observation flips things around. Could it be that what men are looking for in sex toy is simply more difficult to achieved than what women already have? Could it be that the visual stimulation of porn is great for men and not so great for women, but the opposite is true in the sex toy industry?

As far as sex toys for men, I've seen pretty advanced stuff from Japan, but I don't know that it equals the value of a high quality vibrator or not (that being a subjective judgment between two groups that can't experience the other's pleasures).

[darkbutflashy]

Haven't taken your poll as I can't nail it down to a single of your options. If any of them at all. A questionnaire on the topic has to have a decent layout planning and a lot of options to choose on each step. Plus, our sample group is too small and heavily biased itself. Any musings about how males/females think different about ASFR would fail on that, I think.

Ok, one thing we could settle on: if I knew what women want, ... oh wait, I do... that's why I'm here ...

Go on, I'll watch.

EDIT: Would be fun to create such a questionnaire on the wiki, like the FYOP stories. Maybe even as as fembot story. Who joins creating it?

[Stephaniebot]

I think it is an image/body image thing for women, to be honest.

Since I've transitioned, the desire to be turned into a robot has certainly diminished, and I believe the 2 facts are definitely related. I'm now more content with the human body I've got, so...

Doesn't mean I'd turn down the opportunity to be transformed into a robot though, just that the desire for it is less now

[Grendizer]

Thanks for your replies.

darkbutflashy,
Well, the poll was a bit vague intentionally, since I didn't want to say "android" (my preferred term), "fembot," or "gynoid." I also wasn't cutting out cyborgs or virtual entities (pure AIs), thus the term "machine," which could still be considered too narrow in the context of cyborgs.

Certainly this issue could be treated with more subtlety, but a poll obviously isn't the right format. I don't really think I'm qualified to write such a questionnaire. Anyone else is free to pick up that ball and run with it, as far as I'm concerned...

You are right: the sample size is small. But then again, our interest is a minority interest from the start, at least right now. A lot of people don't even have this in their mental landscape of things to think about, good, bad, or neutral, so I don't think that can be help for those curious about the topic.

Stephaniebot,
Obviously I suspected this had to be the case for at least some women, but your change brings up the question of what remains enticing about the idea of transformation? Since it's probably something I hadn't considered, that's even more interesting to me.

[WilloWisp]

People who are dissatisfied with their sex life are typically frustrated by either the quality or the quantity of sex they have (or don't have). For those who are in want of quality sex, they aren't starved for partners. That particular aspect of their sexual desire is satiated. They just want more satisfactory stimulation. When they take matters into their own hands, that's going to be their primary concern.

Those who are dissatisfied with the quantity of sex they have are typically in want of both coitus and the physical intimacy and companionship inherent to the act. When they take matters into their own hands, they are generally going to think of things in terms of more easily obtaining a willing partner, not merely finding a way to have better orgasms.

Speaking in broad and purely statistical terms, society typically funnels women into the former category, and men into the latter.

[darkbutflashy]

People who are dissatisfied with their sex life

Ah, you nailed it, thanks

Ok, I admit: I'm not dissatisfied with my sex life. That's not possible as I barely feel any satisfaction or desire at all. Not for women, not for drugs, not for thrills. These things are very disturbing to my mind, make me even sad and dull when overdosed - which happens frequently. Hell, even caffeine kills me.

The only thing I get satisfaction from is when I complete a tricky task, usually building or programming something. The inrush is slow and the afterglow can last for hours. Same with my interest in fembots, female cyborgs etc. That's not "desire" or "I want to have her" but rather silent work in a playroom where there is only one who makes the rules. For my original interest in fembots, it's because they aren't the norm. Like me. The norm in media is "male" robots. And they are hard to impress (ok, I only like the hardboiled ones). Like me. Okay, I'm not that hardboiled. So basically I like fembots because they are freaks - and this is just the opposite of the common expectations on females.

(Disclaimer: I was married once. But my wife had the *urge* to have me join all the social stuff, as she admitted later. She was very unhappy with my performance in the field so I let her go. Wasn't so bad.)

[--NightBattery--]

(most) women are not going to be too interested in androids until they can [have advanced AI/get a job/kill males thus proving dominance.]

i can't live without coffe...

[tdlsn]

Females have a mass produced,well known and widely accepted mechanical device,the vibrator.Males (hetero),an anti-social, sexist fantasy:the fembot or sexbot.

[Stephaniebot]

Thanks for your replies.

Stephaniebot,
Obviously I suspected this had to be the case for at least some women, but your change brings up the question of what remains enticing about the idea of transformation? Since it's probably something I hadn't considered, that's even more interesting to me.

Well, lets face it, after a large number of years with the fantasy/desire, its not going to go totally away, is it. Still intrigues me, but having tried life as a robot under hypnosis already helps too, it was interesting, and fun. Being tranced to be a 20's flapper was even more fun though

[Grendizer]

Stephaniebot,
So would you say your interest has more to do with living a vicarious life, rather than the specific nature of that life, or have you simply migrated to a different specific expression (say, flapper vs. android)? In some ways, this seems very similar to what many actors enjoy about acting -- living somebody else's life, that sort of thing.

[Stephaniebot]

In all likelihood, if a scientist came to me, and said he needed a human volunteer to be turned into a robot, I'd accept, it still holds plenty of appeal. And yes, I still hanker after the 'Maria' type look in all honesty. However, if said robot body was designed to look (a la Austin Powers) , and 'think' like a sexy young flapper, I'd be even keener!
But given the current state of technology, and the fact I won't see 50 again, hypnosis seems the only likely way I'm going to find out what robot life is like.

I've always had an interest in the 20's and 30's to be honest, just nice that I can act out the style more nowadays, and look better doing so.

Still think I'd hold more appeal to folk as a sexy girl with a new body though!

[DollSpace]

You forgot actual female robots and actual male robots. They may seem....incredulous to you but the option should probably be there.

[Grendizer]

Actually, Male/Female covers any being with a binary gender identity (machine or not), Dollspace. What's really missing is the transgender and/or non-gender options, except that it would have become cumbersome for me.

[Miss Pris]

Oh, I have SOOOO much to say on this topic once I'm finished with my semester... But for right now, I'll just mention that since I plan on doing my dissertation project on us in the near future, I am more than happy to take up the gauntlet that has been thrown down in terms of methods for such an undertaking. Since I'll be doing "insider ethnography" a small sample size is not a problem - the methods will be primarily qualitative and "thick description." I don't need a massive "n" if I'm not subjecting us to statistical analysis... So anyone who's going to want to put in their two cents for a PhD project that will probably be read by no more than 5 people ever, dust off your soapboxes!

[--NightBattery--]

for science, anything.

[Stephaniebot]

Agreed

[Grendizer]

I'm in. Sign me up.

[Miss Pris]

You guys (and gals) are the best

[Windblade]

*looks at the results of the poll*

Ahaha, now I understand why almost all male ASFR enthusiasts who talked to me (in Discord) asked me if I want to become a robot And they were quite surprised when I told them that I don't want to become a robot (maybe only in a distant future).