7 The Era of Women When we consider the beneficiaries of AI, we often visualize robots such as theTerminator, raising macho havoc on society. But as the Feeling Economy emerges from the development of AI, one group of people seems uniquely positioned to benefit. We may be beginning to experience the era of women. The history of automation and AI turns out to involve a steady decline in the status and importance of men, along with a steady increase in the status and importance of women. The Physical Economy was dominated by men, with their larger size and bigger muscles. As physical tasks were automated, the Thinking Economy emerged, which was a much more favor- able environment for women. Throughout the Thinking Economy, signs of women’s progress have been accelerating, reflected by such things as women’s right to vote, 1 a proposed Equal Rights Amendment and Title IX in the United States, and increasing participation by women in the military, sports, business, academia, and politics. This progress is sure to accelerate further, as women assume unprecedented status and importance in the Feeling Economy. The Physical Economy and the Era of Men In the Physical Economy, physical strength was prized, and men, who on average are bigger and stronger than women, seized a dominant position. Occupations like farming, mining, construction, factory work, and the mili- tary required physical strength, putting men at an advantage, which was reflected broadly in men’s higher status. Men also assumed most of the most © The Author(s) 2021 R. T. Rust and M.-H. Huang, The Feeling Economy, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-52977-2_7 77