What you probably already know: The International Labour Organization has concluded that one in 10 women in high-income countries work in occupations that are at the highest risk of losing their jobs to AI. The study found that 16% of women-dominated fields are at risk of automation, while only 3% of male-dominated fields are at risk. Three main factors contribute to the difference: Overrepresentation in jobs most susceptible to automation, such as clerical work; underrepresentation in STEM fields; and AI systems that reflect society’s widespread bias against women. However, this is not the first time in history where women were on the edge of a shifting technological world.
Why? During the 1940s, almost 95% of the U.S.’s telephone operating positions were held by women. These jobs were often an opportunity for women to venture out of unpaid household work and into economic independence. During the decades that followed, AT&T introduced the automated telephone switch and more than 75,000 operator jobs were cut. Instead of finding other work, many women left the workforce entirely, while other women stepped into less specialized roles. However, in the generation following, a wider variety of jobs emerged and women re-entered the workforce.
What it means: Microsoft has reported that 46% of business leaders using its AI products have used the technology to fully automate some of their company’s business processes. This points at another potential massive wave of change for women in the workforce.
What happens now? Experts continue to stress the importance of including more women into fundamental AI development in order to ensure fewer opportunities for undetected gender bias related to pay, recruitment, and access to services. “The impact of generative AI on women’s jobs is not predetermined,” said Janine Berg, senior economist in the International Labour Organization Research Department. “With the right policies, social dialogue and gender-responsive design, we can avert reinforcing existing discrimination.”
