Why do almost all voice aids have the name and voice of a woman?

Almost all voice aids have the name and voice of a woman

Alexa, Siri, Cortana or the Google assistant: everyone is talking with the default voice of a woman (Google and Apple let you put a male voice, but not Microsoft and Amazon). The same goes for the default GPS voices, the answering machines when we call an operator, or those of web assistants (like Irene and Sara de Renfe and Correos).

Yesterday was published in the media the creation of the campaign "Equal voices"Where it is requested that voice assistants have a male voice and a female voice. For that, they argue that the sexism behind these decisions, where a female voice gives more sense of submission and be a "personal secretary"Whoever uses the device, whether it is male or female.

If it is true that having both a male voice and a female voice is positive, it ends up dividing the development and the opportunity to improve and improve a unique voice is lost . In addition, the use of a the female voice has behind the studies, scientists and the companies that created the voice assistants.

Studies do not deceive: men and women prefer a female voice

So, female voices were the most popular by the users who have done the tests for companies like Apple, Amazon or Microsoft, men and women. In addition, two independent studies revealed in 2017 that men and women prefer female voice to be more "kind and understanding".

The first was made in India, where 485 participants: 151 men and 334 women. Both groups concluded that the voices feminine was more pleasant, being this even higher proportion among women than in men. In the second study, conducted at Stanford University, respondents preferred a male voice to receive technical information, while they chose a woman for other types of tasks, as tips in personal relationships.

Although they were originally raised as assistants without sex, the final result on the voice to that of a woman. The tone used is direct and enjoyable, and features features that give the user the impression of interacting with someone else. intelligent, funny, well versed, understanding, attentive and kind.

In the end, what counts for the the creators of IA voices is that users use them. Studies show that The female voice is closer and pleasant when interacting, in addition to being less intrusive, which power are more used. And that there is nothing that can change it.