Have Women Become Useless? Technology, Singlehood and the “Great Separation”

The question “have women become useless?” is part of a broader debate about changing relations between the sexes. It arises at the intersection of several trends: the development of sexual technologies, rising singlehood, fatigue with online dating and concerns over declining birth rates in Western countries.

Put this way, the question may seem provocative or unrealistic. Yet it reflects a genuine concern: if technology and social change make it increasingly possible to separate sexuality, couplehood, reproduction and economic security, what happens to the need to build a lasting relationship? The answer is not to declare one sex superfluous. Rather, it is to examine the risks of a growing separation between men and women.

Why does the idea of technological replacement emerge?

Products and services related to sexuality are undergoing significant development. A 2022 study is often cited as indicating that nearly one in two men in France would be willing to have sex with a robot. The “sextech” market was also presented as potentially exceeding $120 billion in 2024.

Human-like robots, virtual reality pornography and other immersive devices fuel the idea that simulated intimacy could allow some people to avoid the difficulties of meeting someone: fear of rejection, emotional uncertainty, conflict, loneliness or the feeling of not matching romantic expectations.

However, these technologies do not automatically replace a relationship. They may meet a need for stimulation or comfort, but they are not, in themselves, proof that human connection, reciprocity or a family project are no longer desired. The issue is less technological than relational: what happens when part of the population gives up looking for a partner in their immediate social environment?

From social progress to fears of mutual uselessness

Since the 19th century, Western societies have undergone major changes regarding women’s place in society: access to voting rights, contraception, abortion, education, employment and broader economic independence. These developments have profoundly changed the traditional distribution of roles within couples and families.

From this perspective, men are no longer indispensable to a household’s material survival in the same way as before. Some analyses extend this reasoning further: if technological progress also makes it possible to further separate reproduction from couple relationships, women could in turn be viewed as replaceable by artificial solutions.

This logic rests on a utilitarian view of human relationships. It reduces the other sex to a function: providing an income, offering sexual access, enabling parenthood or performing domestic work. Yet a relationship cannot be reduced to the fulfilment of functions. Attachment, the desire to be chosen, mutual support, raising children and building a shared history largely fall outside this framework.

The “great separation”: relations between the sexes under strain

The expression “great separation” refers to a scenario in which men and women in the same country increasingly live apart, with indifference or hostility. In its mildest form, each person leads an independent life without seeking the other on a lasting basis. In its most conflictual form, each sex interprets the other as a threat, an adversary or the cause of its own difficulties.

This polarisation may be amplified by social media. Revenge-driven narratives sometimes pit men against feminists, or women against men perceived as hostile. Generalisations then become easy: all men are said to be dangerous or inadequate; all women are said to be materialistic, contemptuous or ideologically radicalised. Such representations make trust more difficult and draw people away from real-life encounters.

Dating apps can also reinforce a sense of competition. For some, they create the impression of being constantly compared, rapidly judged and exposed to repeated rejection. When faced with this difficulty, retreating into video games, endless content scrolling or digital worlds may seem less risky than pursuing a romantic relationship.

Singlehood, isolation and the decline of intimacy

The phenomenon is not limited to hostility between the sexes. Indifference, weariness and avoidance can have similar effects. One figure has been put forward: 43% of people aged 18 to 25 reportedly had no partner during the previous year. While this alone cannot explain every change in family life, the situation fuels questions about the declining opportunities to form couples.

Declining birth rates in France and other Western countries are often associated with the material difficulties faced by young adults and families: housing, employment, the cost of living and a lack of prospects. These factors are presented as real. But difficulty accessing a stable relationship may also be part of the equation: before deciding to have a child, many people first need to meet someone with whom they can imagine a shared future.

It would be reductive to explain birth rates through a single cause. Lifestyle choices, economic conditions, the age at which people become parents, career aspirations and the quality of relationships are all factors that may intersect. The central point remains that the weakening of intimacy can have consequences that extend beyond private life alone.

“Passport bros” and looking for a partner elsewhere

Another response to relationship disillusionment is to seek a partner abroad. “Passport bros” generally refers to Western men, often mobile and in a favourable financial position, who turn to South America or Asia to meet a companion. They do not necessarily reject women in general, but sometimes say that they no longer recognise themselves in the relationship norms of their own country.

This approach and the use of sexual technologies take very different forms. Nevertheless, they may reflect the same rupture: giving up on seeking a relationship within one’s immediate social setting. One relies on geographic mobility; the other on technological simulation. In both cases, the perceived difficulty of local relationships becomes the starting point.

Moving beyond the logic of a war between the sexes

Setting women’s emancipation against men’s revenge leads to a dead end. The symbolic disappearance of the other sex solves neither loneliness, nor lack of trust, nor the difficulty of building families. On the contrary, it creates an imaginary of confrontation in which romantic failure becomes a supposed victory over the other side.

A logic of reconnection rests on more concrete goals: moving beyond generalised resentment, accepting that meeting someone involves a degree of vulnerability, working on one’s own stability and seeking a compatible relationship rather than revenge. This implies neither rushing into things nor an obligation to form a family according to a single model.

The debate over the usefulness of women therefore primarily reveals anxiety about loneliness and the erosion of ties between men and women. The decisive question is not which sex could replace the other. It is how to preserve relationships based on respect, trust and the possibility of building something lasting together.

FAQ

Can sexual technologies replace a romantic relationship?

They can meet certain individual needs, but they do not necessarily reproduce the reciprocity, commitment and shared project that characterise a couple relationship.

Why do people speak of a “great separation”?

This expression describes the growing distance between men and women, fuelled by mistrust, confrontational rhetoric, singlehood and withdrawal from meeting one another.

Is the decline in birth rates explained solely by economic factors?

Financial difficulties are presented as a real factor, but they may not be sufficient on their own to explain these changes. Isolation and difficulty forming couples can also be taken into account.