A new research brief from the International Labour Organization (ILO) reveals that Generative AI (GenAI) is not entering a neutral labor market. Instead, it is set to interact with existing social norms and occupational segregation, placing women at a significantly higher risk of job automation than men.
The report finds that women are more exposed to GenAI than men in 88% of countries analyzed. This exposure is most acute in high-income economies, where clerical and administrative roles—occupations traditionally held by women—are more prevalent.
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Global Exposure: In high-income countries, 41% of all jobs are exposed to GenAI, compared to just 11% in low-income countries.
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National Impact: In economies such as Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the Philippines, more than 40% of women’s employment is exposed to GenAI automation.
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Developing States: Small island developing states in the Caribbean and Pacific also show high levels of female job exposure due to the structure of their service-based economies.
While GenAI creates new roles in technology-intensive sectors, women remain underrepresented in the fields designing and managing these systems.
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The AI Workforce: As of 2022, women accounted for only 30% of the global AI workforce, a marginal increase of only 4 percentage points since 2016.
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STEM Disparity: Women continue to be underrepresented in high-demand engineering and software development roles.
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The Bias Loop: Because women are missing from decision-making roles, AI systems are frequently trained on biased data. This risks automating discrimination in recruitment, pay decisions, and credit scoring—particularly for women facing intersecting discrimination based on race, ethnicity, disability, or migration status. “Discriminatory social norms and unequal care responsibilities continue to shape who enters which occupations,” said Anam Butt, co-author of the research. “Women are concentrated in occupations likely to be automated but remain underrepresented in AI-related jobs.”
The ILO emphasizes that the impact of GenAI on the labor market is not a “foregone conclusion.” The technology has the potential to either entrench existing inequalities or become a tool for empowerment by improving work-life balance and productivity.
Key Recommendations for a Just Transition:
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Inclusive Design: Embedding gender equality into the governance and deployment of AI.
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Skills Access: Expanding women’s access to high-level technical training and STEM education.
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Social Dialogue: Involving governments, employers, and workers in shaping how AI is introduced to ensure it supports decent work.
“The impact of generative AI on women’s jobs is not predetermined,” added Janine Berg, Senior Economist at the ILO. “With the right policies and gender-responsive design, we can avert reinforcing existing discrimination.”
