A research brief by the International Labor Organization showed that generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) is reshaping the world of work and may boost productivity and job creation, but its impact is likely to fall more heavily on women.
Titled “Gen AI, occupational segregation and gender equality in the world of work,” the ILO said female-dominated occupations are nearly twice as likely to be exposed to GenAI compared with male-dominated jobs.
“Generative AI is not entering a neutral labor market,” said researcher Anam Butt, one of the study’s authors, noting that social norms, unequal care responsibilities and labor market structures continue to shape employment patterns.
The study found that about 29 percent of female-dominated occupations are exposed to GenAI, compared with 16 percent of male-dominated roles.
The gap is even wider in high-risk categories, where 16 percent of women’s jobs face the highest exposure to automation, compared with only three percent of men’s jobs.
The disparity is largely driven by occupational segregation, with women heavily represented in clerical, administrative and business support roles such as secretaries, receptionists, payroll clerks and accounting assistants—jobs that involve routine tasks that can be automated.
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 technology.
The report also highlighted that women remain underrepresented in technology-related fields. Globally, women made up only around 30 percent of the AI workforce in 2022, only slightly higher than in 2016.
This lack of representation in AI-related and science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) roles could limit women’s access to new job opportunities created by the technology while reducing diversity in the sector.
The ILO warned that AI systems can also replicate social biases if trained on flawed or incomplete data, potentially undermining women in areas such as recruitment, pay decisions, credit scoring and access to services.
Despite these concerns, the organization said GenAI could still improve job quality and productivity if implemented responsibly.
“The impact of generative AI on women’s jobs is not predetermined,” said Janine Berg, senior economist at the ILO and co-author of the report. She said appropriate policies, social dialogue and gender-responsive design could help prevent existing inequalities from widening.
