Women face AI 'triple penalty' as jobs are lost and men dominate new tech roles

Women are encountering a significant disadvantage in the evolving landscape of artificial intelligence, facing a "triple penalty" as their existing roles are automated while men disproportionately fill the new positions created by AI.

A report by the World Economic Forum (WEF) highlights concerns that the burgeoning AI industry is replicating historical workplace and societal inequalities. The WEF's annual gender gap study, which assesses 97 countries across economic, educational, health, and political spheres, indicates that progress toward gender parity, which had been building for two decades, is now described as "fragile."

The report found that women constitute only a quarter of new hires in AI and hold just one in eight executive positions within the AI sector. Saadia Zahidi, a managing director at the WEF, noted the concerning trend, stating, "There is a completely new industry and it’s somehow replicating some of the oldest patterns."

Zahidi emphasized the far-reaching implications of this imbalance, suggesting that correcting gender disparities within the AI industry would have a significant positive impact across the broader economy. She pointed out that the types of jobs being disrupted by AI are often those where women have been most concentrated, including junior legal roles and administrative assistant positions. "It is white collar work that has brought in a lot of women and given them very good livelihoods over the last few decades," Zahidi said.

Sue Duke, from the career networking firm LinkedIn, which contributed to the report, described the situation as a "triple penalty" for women in the AI economy. She elaborated that women are underrepresented not only in AI roles but also within AI companies and, crucially, in AI leadership positions.

Several factors contribute to this disparity. Many AI roles are filled by individuals with backgrounds in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields, areas where women have historically been underrepresented. Furthermore, the established field of software engineering, a common pathway into AI, is already male-dominated. Duke also noted that career breaks, which women are more likely to take, can have a more pronounced impact in a rapidly advancing industry like AI.

The study revealed that women are less represented in AI firms compared to non-AI companies. While the proportion of female founders with AI engineering skills has increased, the rate of increase has been slower than for men. Overall, the WEF report acknowledges that while progress toward gender parity has been made, at the current pace, full parity is still projected to be 120 years away. Notably, the representation of women in leadership positions globally has stagnated for four consecutive years, with the share of countries led by women falling to 2016 levels.

Duke expressed concern that girls born today may not witness equal representation at the top leadership levels within their lifetime, a situation that is even more acute for women in AI roles. She stressed the importance of addressing the persistent barriers that hinder women's career progression to alter this trajectory.

Globally, the report's rankings show that while the UK has improved its position in closing the gender gap, it has slipped from fourth to fifth place as other nations advanced more rapidly. Iceland, Finland, Norway, and Namibia currently lead the rankings for gender parity.