What will tomorrow’s labour market look like for women? Are we effectively harnessing the power of AI to narrow gender equality gaps, or are we letting these gaps perpetuate, or even worse, widen?
UNESCO’s report titled ‘Artificial Intelligence and Gender Equality’, examines the effects of the use of artificial intelligence on women’s professional work environments and careers.
As revealed in various studies, gender stereotypes are present in many AI data sets, especially in educational ones. Moreover, algorithms and AI technology have the potential to reinforce existing inequalities.
A 2019 UNESCO report reveals that women represent only 29 per cent of science R&D positions globally and they are 25 per cent less likely than men to know how to leverage digital technology for basic uses.
Gender disparity among authors who publish in the AI field is also evident. Studies have found that only 18% of authors at leading AI conferences are women (Mantha, 2019) and more than 80% of AI professors are men (Shoham et al., 2018). According to 2020 data on OECD.AI, women accounted for only 14% of authors of AI peer-reviewed articles worldwide.
The gender gap must be bridged so that more women can participate in the AI workforce, including in terms of leadership in the design and development of AI. In 2019, women represented only 18% of C-Suite leaders among top AI start-ups around the globe (Best & Modi, 2019). Moreover, women with AI skills are less likely than men to be in senior roles (World Economic Forum, 2018).
Dr Susan Leavy from University College Dublin argues that male dominance in the design of AI technologies could quietly undo decades of progress on gender equality. Leavy develops her argument by pointing out that machine intelligence learns by first observing the data presented to it. This data is woven together with stereotypical notions of gender, so she concludes that technology can perpetuate this bias.
As the use and development of Artificial Intelligence (AI) continue to mature, it’s time to ask:
What will tomorrow’s labour market look like for women?
UNESCO’s report titled ‘Artificial Intelligence and Gender Equality’, examines the effects of the use of artificial intelligence on women’s professional work environments and careers. By closely following the major stages of the workforce lifecycle – from job requirements to hiring to career progression and upskilling within the workplace – this joint report is a thorough introduction to issues related to gender and AI and hopes to foster important conversations about women’s equality in the future of work.
Globally, researches show that women in the workforce are being paid less, are not holding senior positions, and have a lower representation in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) fields.
Are we effectively harnessing the power of AI to narrow gender equality gaps, or are we letting these gaps perpetuate, or even worse, widen?
The report offers six findings:
1. Reskilling and upskilling women workers – AI is changing the labour market, bringing new skill demands to workers of the future. It is crucial that women are not left out of the increased demand for professionals in STEM/AI. Programmes that support reskilling and upskilling women will help them access these fields. Digital skills will also be important for workers to understand the systems being implemented and raise concerns when necessary. The existing gaps in women’s access to these skills and jobs are troubling, and societies should work to narrow and eventually close them. This is the responsibility of governments, NGOs, academia, trade unions and the private sector.
2. Encouraging women in STEM – More women at the forefront of AI design and development will be a significant step forward. To get more women leading in AI and technological development, governments, institutions, organisations and companies should support the education of women and girls, in STEM education in particular.
3. Accounting for contextual and cultural complexity – AI systems have different impacts in different contexts and countries. Diverse labour markets, economies, cultures and gender norms shape how workers experience AI systems, meaning that AI-based tools and technologies will impact the working lives of women in a variety of ways. These contextual and cultural complexities should be addressed systematically when designing and implementing AI systems or policy and regulation responses to AI.
4. Leveraging multi-stakeholder approaches – Governments, private sector companies, technical communities and academia need to engage these issues and take responsibility for the impact of AI tools and systems. Governments should create and promote policies that consider the potential impact of AI systems on vulnerable groups. Organisations and institutions have a role in supporting skill-equalising work environments for women.
5. Shaping gender stereotypes – This report shows the powerful connection between stereotypes surrounding women’s paid and unpaid work, and how these can be both shaped by and encoded into AI systems. For example, virtual personal assistants might promote certain gender stereotypes, particularly around care and assistance. The role of women at work, and their often unpaid and unequally distributed domestic and care responsibilities must be more thoroughly considered when creating equal work environments for women, as well as in the design, policy and implementation surrounding AI technologies.
6. Continuing applied research – More applied research is needed on how AI systems impact work in general and the working lives of women in particular, and to understand potential societal impacts of widespread use of specific AI systems. For example, Chapter 3 highlights the differing effects on men’s and women’s job opportunities when AI hiring systems are rolled out with key questions left unanswered. Chapter 4 shows the lack of research surrounding the impact that AI monitoring systems have on the working lives of women and their opportunities for recognition and promotion. Going forward, organisations and governments should be transparent about how their AI systems function. Further research in this area will be required to catalyse the explainability of AI systems’ function and protect employees engaged with AI.
While emerging AI systems could present further challenges to the work of women, these impacts are not yet inevitable. This report aims to encourage organisations, the public, policymakers and academics to grasp the opportunities and be proactive in facing the potential challenges. Designing and deploying novel technologies, guided by a principles-based approach and best practices, will both help ensure that today’s gender stereotypes are not built into tomorrow’s technological systems and help close gender gaps.
You can read the full report here.