Women more vulnerable to AI taking over human jobs than men: United Nations

Women make up only 29% of the global tech workforce and 14% of leadership roles

By Huzefa Aliasger   

Women’s jobs are more at risk from artificial intelligence  (AI) than men’s, according to a new United Nations report. Nearly 28 per  cent of women’s roles globally could be threatened by AI, compared with  21 per cent of men’s.

The report titled “Gender Snapshot 2025” says that while the  digital future holds the potential to become a powerful equaliser,  immediate action is needed to bridge the gender digital divide.   

The UN warns that without proactive measures, inequality  could be coded into the future, reiterating lessons from past  disruptions. “It could benefit 343 million women and girls, lift 30  million out of extreme poverty, improve food security for 42 million,  and spark $1.5 trillion in global growth by 2030,” the report says.   

Despite this potential, women remain underrepresented in  the tech sector, making up just 29 per cent of the workforce and 14 per  cent of leadership roles worldwide.   

Another recent report from the UN’s International Labour  Organisation (ILO) found that automation could replace just under 10 per  cent of female-dominated positions in high-income countries compared to  the 3.5 per cent it could replace for men.   

The report further says that the biggest disparity between  male and female-dominated jobs happens in high-income countries, where  41 per cent of all high-income work for women could be exposed to AI,  compared to 28 per cent of men’s jobs.  

To safeguard hard-won progress in women’s participation in  the labour market, the report urges investment in women’s digital and  technical training, smoother job transitions across industries, and  gender-responsive labour and social protection policies.