TLDR: A new UN report, “Gender Snapshot 2025,” reveals that women are significantly more vulnerable to job losses from AI automation than men, with 28% of women’s jobs globally at risk compared to 21% of men’s. The report urges urgent action to bridge the gender digital divide and invest in women’s digital skills to prevent deepening inequalities.
A recent United Nations report, “Gender Snapshot 2025,” has issued a stark warning regarding the uneven impact of artificial intelligence on the global workforce, indicating that women face a considerably higher risk of job displacement due to AI automation than men. The comprehensive analysis estimates that 28% of women’s jobs worldwide are vulnerable to automation, a notable contrast to 21% of men’s roles.
The report highlights that globally, 4.7% of jobs held by women are at the highest level of risk from AI, nearly double the 2.4% of jobs held by men. This disparity becomes even more pronounced in high-income nations, where 9.6% of women’s jobs are at extreme risk, almost three times the proportion for men.
Women are found to be disproportionately concentrated in sectors and roles most susceptible to replacement by generative AI. These include clerical, administrative, financial roles, as well as positions within banking, finance, insurance, and the public sector. The report identifies the worker at highest risk as typically a young, urban woman with medium to high levels of education and relatively higher income. This vulnerability is exacerbated in high-income countries due to existing occupational structures and gendered job segregation.
The UN report underscores the urgent need for targeted interventions to mitigate these deepening gender disparities. It calls for significant investment in women’s technical and digital skills, facilitating transitions for women into different economic sectors, and implementing gender-responsive labor and social protection policies. The authors of the report cautioned, “If lessons are not learned and investment is not made in upskilling women, the risks posed by AI will deepen existing inequalities.”
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Bridging the “gender digital divide” is presented as a critical solution. The report suggests that closing this gap could yield substantial benefits, including empowering 343 million girls and women, lifting 30 million individuals out of extreme poverty, improving food security for 42 million, and contributing an additional $1.5 trillion to global economic growth by 2030. The UN emphasizes the importance of enhancing access to digital learning, materials, and jobs to ensure greater engagement and fair participation in the digital economy and the development of AI.
