AI is creating a dual-edged sword for women's careers, offering both new opportunities and posing significant risks of job displacement. As companies increasingly adopt automation and generative AI, women are finding pathways to advance in tech, but this progress comes with the threat of losing their jobs, contributing to a growing inequality in the workforce.
Reports from Ensono and the London School of Economics (LSE) highlight this contradictory impact: while Ensono notes that women in tech are leveraging AI for career advancement, LSE indicates that the same technology is pushing many female workers out of their roles. This raises pressing questions regarding whether AI truly serves to empower women or merely exacerbates existing workforce inequalities.
Generative AI Skills Boost Careers, But Not Job Security
Generative AI is proving to be a significant career accelerator for women in tech, with 89% of survey respondents from Ensono reporting that their AI skills have helped them advance in their careers. Notably, the number of women who identify as AI experts has doubled in just one year, indicating a rapid shift toward AI proficiency.
However, LSE warns that job elimination due to AI is occurring at a faster rate for women than for men, particularly affecting roles in administrative, customer service, and clerical positions. In the U.S., 79% of employed women are in jobs that are classified as high-risk for automation, compared to 58% of men. This stark contrast raises a critical question: does AI genuinely empower women or simply reshuffle who gets left behind?
Learning AI is Not Enough for Women
Despite the efforts to build AI skills, women remain at a disadvantage. According to the World Economic Forum, women occupy only 22% of AI positions and 28% of the global STEM workforce, limiting their access to the most sought-after AI careers. Those without STEM backgrounds face exclusion from the highest-paying and most influential roles.
Even as technical skills improve, deeply rooted industry barriers hinder women's access to positions that dictate the direction of automation. As traditional jobs vanish, women without STEM credentials risk economic displacement, regardless of their adaptability.
The AI Gender Gap Affects Everyone
The implications of AI's impact on women's job security extend beyond individual experiences; they affect the entire workforce. Uneven job growth fosters economic inequality and creates an unstable labor market that impacts everyone. To address these challenges, companies must commit to equitable hiring practices, policymakers should work to expand STEM access, and AI organizations need to ensure that career opportunities in the sector are available to a broader talent pool, not just a select few.
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