AI & gender: opportunities and risks for women in the workplace

From her research on women and work, which has been ongoing for two years, she is now also delving into the role of AI and women in the workplace. This is particularly important because this technological development significantly impacts how work is organized, evaluated, and distributed. The consequences do not affect everyone in the same way: various studies indicate that women are more often found in positions with a higher risk of automation than men, particularly in administrative roles where women are relatively well represented. This difference can be as much as 10% (World Economic Forum; UNU).
Anne’s message is clear and nuanced: AI is often perceived as objective, but this is not always the case in practice. Unconscious assumptions and historical bias can reinforce existing inequalities. At the same time, she shows that this awareness offers room for management. "When we reflect on how AI is designed and used, patterns become visible, space arises to make adjustments, and AI can consciously be deployed as a enhancer of human potential, including for women in the labor market," says Anne.

AI as a Reflection of Work, Opportunities, and Evaluation

In her session, Anne explored what becomes visible when questions about work, roles, and assessment are posed not only to people but also to AI systems. She bases her findings on research and on the answers that AI itself provides when asked about these issues. These outcomes serve as the starting point for a series of statements she submitted to the participants of the inspiration session.

AI and Neutrality: Recruitment and Evaluation

AI shows that neutrality is not a given in recruitment and evaluation. AI models tend to evaluate resumes of men more positively on average than those of women (WomenInc). When age plays a role, this difference becomes even more pronounced: older men are often perceived as more experienced, while women over 45 are relatively more likely to be seen as less competent from the analysis (Stanford).

Salary Advice and Technology

When AI is asked to provide salary advice based on identical profiles, the advice for women is on average lower than for men (WomenInc). This is not a reflection of how organizations currently operate, but an insight into how existing inequalities can persist in AI systems that are often perceived as objective.
A part of the explanation lies in who develops AI. Worldwide, about 22% of AI specialists are women (WomenInc; UNESCO). That limited perspective carries over into data, assumptions, and design choices.

Urgency and Responsibility

According to Anne, this makes AI more than just an individual tool. In some organizations, the use of AI has now become part of performance and evaluation. This highlights the urgency: those who are not included or do not receive adequate support risk falling behind. This creates a clear responsibility for employers. To guide people, provide training, and allow space to gain experience safely. AI requires attention, care, and management. And thus calls for a clear role for HR.

Bias is in the Data

To illustrate how deeply bias can run, Anne shows what happens when you ask an AI tool to display a photo of a CEO. The result: only men in suits. Ask the same for an HR assistant, and you only see women behind desks. “There’s just a kind of bias in the assumption that every HR assistant must look like this.”
The explanation lies in the data on which AI is trained. AI learns from historical patterns and reproduces them. Stereotypical images of who occupies which roles, who exudes authority, and who comes across as competent: it’s all in the training data. And therefore also in the results of recruitment tools, evaluation algorithms, and salary advice that organizations use daily. Anne: “Many people are unaware of this. Not in real life and certainly not in AI.”

Less Trust, Less Use of AI, But That’s Risky

At the same time, Anne notes that women are often more hesitant in using AI (NHB Commentary - How Risk Perceptions Shape the Gender Gap in Generative AI Use). Questions about reliability, privacy, impact, and ethics play a larger role. That caution is understandable but also poses a risk. Anne refers to a well-known saying within the AI world: ‘AI won’t replace humans, but humans with AI will replace humans without AI.’ Those who disregard AI may be overtaken by colleagues who do use it. This disproportionately affects women, particularly because they tend to work with it less on average. It requires conscious, supported, and collective learning to engage with this technology.

AI as Additional Intelligence

Anne points out that there are also many opportunities. There is another way to look at AI: not as Artificial Intelligence that replaces you as a person, but as Additional Intelligence. An extra layer on top of your own knowledge and skills, where you remain at the steering wheel. “Using AI is more about behavior than technology,” says Anne. “And thus it’s HR.”
This is an incredibly important message for the HR audience present: this is not an IT issue. It’s about how people develop new habits, trust, resilience, and inclusion. And that offers perspective. Because if AI is a behavioral and cultural issue, then HR professionals are ideally positioned to drive it.

Opportunities Are There, If You Actively Seize Them

Anne identifies several concrete opportunities that AI offers for organizations that are consciously engaged in how work is designed (inclusively).

Bias Becomes Visible and Discussable

When there is insight into AI patterns, unintended biases (such as gender-based characterizations) that AI can adopt or reproduce in its responses also become visible. When organizations and employees are aware of this, it creates room to reflect, discuss, and develop policies around it.

More Careful Recruitment and Evaluation

If designed consciously and carefully, AI tools can help make recruitment and evaluation more consistent. Not as a replacement for human judgment, but as support in making better-informed choices during selection processes.

Creativity and Technology Come Closer Together

As more is done with language and interaction, the way technology is used shifts. Creative, communicative, and analytical skills are increasingly interlinked, which can provide new pathways to technical work and collaboration with AI.

New Roles, New Opportunities

It is clear that some of the jobs currently performed mainly by women will change in the long term. At the same time, new roles and functions are emerging. There are opportunities here, as long as women are actively involved in this transition and receive timely support in developing new (AI) skills.

More Space for Flexibility

AI changes how work is organized. It is expected that this could lead to more flexibility in working hours, work formats, and collaboration. For many working women, who often juggle multiple roles, this can contribute to a better alignment between work and personal life.

Powerskills Become Key for Leadership

AI also changes what is expected of leaders: what does AI mean for feminine leadership? The so-called ‘soft skills,’ or better said ‘powerskills,’ are becoming increasingly valuable with the advent of AI. Skills such as genuinely listening, conducting the Good Conversation, showing empathy, and communicating in a human-centered way. This is a valuable shift: as AI takes over much of the knowledge task, more room is created for exactly these qualities.
Research by Markteffect and Driessen Groep among one thousand men and one thousand women shows that the top five needs for leadership qualities are identical for both groups and all focus on powerskills. Notably, women score slightly higher in this area. These are qualities that are not tied to one gender but are valuable for anyone in leadership, both women and men.

What Can You Do as an Employer?

Anne concludes with three concrete tips for HR professionals and employers:

1. Be aware of the biases present in AI: by not keeping this an individual matter but instead sharing and discussing it together, space is created to engage with AI more consciously and supportively.
2. Invest in women’s perceptions regarding AI: resistance is understandable, but it is also a barrier. Help women see the opportunities that AI offers and create a safe environment to experiment.
3. Take your responsibility as an employer: mandatory training for everyone. AI skills are no longer a luxury. There is now legislation requiring employers to keep employees sustainably employable. As an employer, you must invest in AI training for all employees. Only then will you be well-prepared for what lies ahead.

Want to Know More?

The Women & Work Desk is currently working on the publication 'Empowering Women Leadership', with research and insights from the past two years. Request a pre-order for the publication here.

For further elaboration, Smulders refers to:
• Book: Me, Myself & AI by Sanne Cornelissen
• Report: AI, Gender and the Labor Market by WomenInc.
• Podcast: AI and Humanity: a Paradox? by Lisanne Buik
• Report: Restructuring the Labor Market by Intelligence Group
• Article: Women Are Concerned About AI, and Rightfully So by Sophie van Gool