Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming the job skills and employment landscape across sectors. Significant changes are occurring as AI technologies are increasingly integrated into the workplace, with an estimated 75% of knowledge workers now leveraging AI tools to increase productivity and efficiency.
But this rapid transformation is not without challenges, particularly as a gender gap emerges, highlighting significant disparities in how AI will impact men and women in the workplace.
Online forums, blogs, newspapers and research reports offer conflicting arguments about how digitalization and automation will affect women. An International Monetary Fund blog points out that digitalization and AI are rapidly transforming jobs, especially those involving low- to medium-skill, routine tasks, posing major challenges for women.
The risk of losing one's job due to automation is 11% for women and 9% for men
The risk of losing a job due to automation is 11% for women compared to 9% for men. According to the study “At the Margins: Pakistan's Female Workers and the Future of Work, A Narrative” by the German political party foundation Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, which is affiliated with the Social Democratic Party of Germany, 26 million women's jobs are at high risk of being lost in 30 countries within the next 20 years, and the likelihood of automation is over 70%, affecting an estimated 180 million women worldwide.
An article on The Conservation's website argues that women are over-represented in fields that require strong social skills and empathy, such as nursing and teaching, and therefore are better placed than men to resist and benefit from job automation.
These advances are dramatically changing how work gets done, raising concerns about women's role in an automated and digital future. In Pakistan, there is a disconnect between women's current work status, technological advances, and related policies, with limited discussion outside of occasional reports and urban-focused newspaper articles. This oversight has serious implications for women, who are often excluded from discussions about productive employment and decent work.
current situation
AI has become widely integrated into professional environments, and knowledge workers – people whose jobs primarily involve processing and using information – are at the forefront of this transition. From data analytics platforms to advanced machine learning algorithms, AI tools are enabling knowledge workers to operate more efficiently, make data-driven decisions, and innovate faster than ever before.
Despite widespread adoption of AI, its benefits are not being shared equally, and women, who are more likely to hold roles vulnerable to automation and disruption by AI, face particular challenges.
These roles are often administrative, support, and clerical, putting them at higher risk of being replaced by AI-driven solutions. Conversely, women are underrepresented in the roles that will benefit most from AI, such as science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields and AI development itself.
Unequal opportunities
Organizations in Pakistan are predominantly managed by men. Very few women hold top management positions in Pakistani business organizations. Therefore, the impact of gender disparity on AI is multifaceted. Women are disproportionately represented in jobs that are likely to be disrupted by AI. Recent studies have found that traditionally female roles such as office clerks, customer service representatives, and data entry clerks are at high risk of being automated.
This creates a precarious situation where women may face greater unemployment compared to men, especially in countries where the issue of women’s economic independence is at stake.
Yet women tend to be underrepresented in AI-driven roles: Data science, AI development, and technical leadership – areas that are poised for great growth and opportunity from advancements in AI – are predominantly held by men. This imbalance not only limits women's career advancement opportunities, but also exacerbates existing gender disparities in the tech industry.
Creating a place where women can thrive
It is critical to address this gap, create a space for women to thrive, and help develop a more equitable AI-driven workplace. To address the emerging gender gap in AI, companies must invest in reskilling and upskilling programs and prioritize training that helps employees, especially women, acquire new skills relevant to the AI-driven job market, such as data science, machine learning, and coding.
Encouraging more women to pursue careers in STEM fields is crucial and can be achieved through scholarship programs, mentorship initiatives, and partnerships with educational institutions. Ensuring diversity in AI development teams is also essential. This helps produce inclusive, unbiased technology, so active recruitment and support of women in AI research, development, and leadership roles is necessary.
A flexible work environment that offers remote work options, flexible working hours, and supportive maternity leave policies can help women balance professional development with personal responsibilities.
Finally, leadership commitment to gender diversity through policies and practices that promote equal opportunity, including setting diversity goals, tracking progress, and holding leaders accountable for creating an inclusive work environment, is essential.
These policy measures are primarily focused on women's economic independence and also include investing in education and health, enacting anti-harassment laws in the workplace, and promoting entrepreneurship through microcredit. The goal is to increase economic opportunities for women and increase their participation in them.
AI is undoubtedly reshaping the job market, bringing both opportunities and challenges. As we navigate this transformation, it is a strategic imperative to recognize and address emerging gender disparities. By investing in reskilling programs, promoting gender diversity in STEM, and fostering inclusive work environments, leaders can create the space where women can not only thrive, but also drive innovation in an AI-driven future. Leaders can ensure women benefit equally from the AI revolution, creating a balanced and positive workplace.
The author is head of content at a communications agency.
Published in the July 15, 2024 issue of Dawn, The Business and Finance Weekly
