AI Disproportionately Affects Women's Employment

On May 26, 2025, a quiet warning echoed across the global labor market: artificial intelligence, long hailed for its promise of progress, is altering the world of work in ways that may deepen existing gender inequalities. A new report by the International Labour Organization has revealed that women are bearing a disproportionate share of job disruption caused by AI, particularly in high-income countries where automation is rapidly accelerating. Jobs traditionally held by women—such as administrative support, clerical tasks, and customer service—are among the most vulnerable to AI-driven transformation. These roles, often undervalued despite their necessity, are now among the first to be streamlined or replaced by intelligent systems capable of managing calendars, processing data, and communicating with customers in real time. According to the ILO’s findings, 9.6% of female-dominated roles are at high risk of being transformed or eliminated due to AI integration, compared to just 3.5% of roles held primarily by men. This imbalance is not merely a statistical oddity. It reflects deeper systemic issues: occupational segregation, historical undervaluation of women's work, and limited access to technical upskilling. As companies adopt AI at scale, efficiency gains are being prioritized over equitable outcomes. Women are more likely to find their roles automated without corresponding opportunities to reskill or transition into emerging digital positions. At the same time, AI’s increasing influence in hiring and promotion decisions raises further concerns about bias. Without careful design and oversight, algorithms can reinforce the very inequalities they aim to solve. For women on the frontlines of automation, the future of work risks becoming a future of uncertainty. However, this trajectory is not inevitable. The challenge now is to build inclusive AI strategies that recognize the specific vulnerabilities of different labor groups. Proactive investment in education, digital literacy, and gender-aware reskilling programs can help ensure that women are not left behind in the AI revolution. Without deliberate action, though, technology's rise may come at a steep cost to gender equity in the workplace.