The UN’s report titled “Gender Snapshot 2025” cautions that nearly 28 percent of women’s jobs worldwide may be impacted by artificial intelligence, in contrast to 21 percent of men’s jobs. Although the digital future holds the promise of being a significant equalizer, the report emphasizes the critical necessity to address the gender digital divide.
The report indicates that AI-induced changes in the labor market could disproportionately affect women, owing to the distribution of occupations and deficiencies in digital skills. This highlights the importance of implementing gender-sensitive policies and training programs to protect employment.
On a global scale, 27.6 percent of women’s jobs are potentially at risk from generative AI, compared to 21.1 percent of men’s jobs. Women are nearly twice as likely as men to occupy positions that are highly susceptible to automation—4.7 percent versus 2.4 percent—placing approximately 65 million women’s jobs in jeopardy, as opposed to 51 million men’s jobs.
The gender disparity is particularly pronounced in high-income nations, where 9.6 percent of women’s jobs are at risk of automation, compared to 3.5 percent of men’s jobs. The increased vulnerability of women is primarily due to their concentration in roles that are at risk of automation, such as clerical and administrative jobs.
Young female employees in urban settings with medium to high educational backgrounds, particularly those working in banking, finance, insurance, or the public sector, may also face disproportionate effects from AI-driven transformations.
The report advocates for immediate actions to bridge the digital gender divide, which includes enhancing women’s access to digital resources, offering specialized training, and increasing participation in STEM and digital leadership positions.
Additionally, it underscores the ongoing inequalities within the technology sector, where women represent only 29 percent of the global tech workforce and a mere 14 percent of leadership roles in tech. With 2025 being a crucial year—merely five years ahead of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development—the report monitors advancements toward achieving gender equality within the framework of the Sustainable Development Goals.
The United Nations cautions that the globe is confronted with a new disruption, warning that inequality may become “encoded into the future if we fail to learn from previous errors.” The report further states: “This could benefit 343 million women and girls, elevate 30 million out of extreme poverty, enhance food security for 42 million, and generate $1.5 trillion in global growth by the year 2030.”
To ensure that the advancements in women’s workforce participation are preserved, the report advocates for investments in digital and technical skills, support for sectoral transitions, and the implementation of gender-responsive labor and social protection policies.
