Generative AI Poses Greater Workplace Risks for Women, ILO Report Finds

Geneva – A new report from the International Labour Organization (ILO) warns that the rise of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) is poised to disproportionately impact women in the workforce, despite its potential to boost productivity and job creation. The study reveals that occupations dominated by women are almost twice as likely to be exposed to the disruptive potential of this technology compared to those primarily held by men, raising concerns about widening gender inequalities in the labor market.

Women Overrepresented in High-Risk Roles

The ILO’s research, detailed in the brief “Gen AI, occupational segregation and gender equality in the world of work,” identifies three key factors contributing to this disparity. These include women’s overrepresentation in roles susceptible to automation, their underrepresentation in the growing field of AI and STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) occupations, and the inherent biases often embedded within AI systems themselves.

Across countries with available data, approximately 29 percent of jobs predominantly held by women are exposed to GenAI, a figure significantly higher than the 16 percent exposure rate for male-dominated occupations. The risk is even more pronounced when considering high-automation potential, with 16 percent of female-dominated roles falling into the highest exposure categories, compared to just 3 percent for their male counterparts.

Occupational Segregation Drives Disparity

This disparity is largely attributed to occupational segregation, with women heavily concentrated in administrative and clerical positions – roles involving routine, codifiable tasks easily replaced by AI. Examples include secretaries, receptionists, payroll clerks, and accounting assistants. In contrast, men are more commonly employed in sectors such as construction, manufacturing, and manual trades, where tasks are less easily automated.

Across countries analyzed, women face greater exposure to GenAI in 88 percent of economies studied. In some places—including Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the Philippines—more than 40 percent of women’s employment is exposed to the technology.

AI Opportunities Remain Unequal

Although GenAI is expected to drive job growth in technology-intensive sectors, women remain largely excluded from these opportunities. Globally, women accounted for only about 30 percent of the AI workforce in 2022, only 4 percentage points higher than in 2016. They are also underrepresented in STEM jobs more broadly, particularly in high-demand fields such as engineering and software development.

This imbalance means women are less likely to benefit from new employment opportunities and skills development. At the same time, enterprises lose out on talent, diversity, and innovation.

Bias in AI Systems

The ILO report underlines that GenAI, like previous technologies, is not neutral. Technologies are designed, trained, and deployed within existing social and economic structures and can therefore reproduce biases and discrimination. The underrepresentation of women in the development and adoption of AI increases the risk of gender-biased technologies. AI systems trained on biased or incomplete data have been shown to disadvantage women in recruitment, pay decisions, credit scoring, and access to services.

Policy Recommendations

The ILO stresses that the most widespread impact of GenAI is likely to be on job quality rather than job quantity. GenAI can change tasks, intensify workloads, increase monitoring, or reduce autonomy. However, if designed and implemented responsibly, it can also improve working conditions, enhance productivity, and support work–life balance.

Embedding gender equality in the design, deployment, and governance of GenAI is essential, alongside tackling occupational segregation, expanding women’s access to skills, and ensuring their representation in AI-related roles. Strong labour market institutions and social dialogue are critical to this process. By involving governments, employers, and workers in shaping how GenAI is introduced at work, technological change can support decent work and advance a more inclusive future of work for all.