Women Fill Only 25% of New AI Jobs as Men Earn $45,000 More
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · Oct 4
Women Fill Only 25% of New AI Jobs as Men Earn $45,000 More
3 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Oct 4
Summary
LinkedIn data shows women took about 25% of new AI hires over the past year, versus 50% in non-AI roles, and just 13% of AI executive jobs.
AI postings have doubled since 2023 and pay more than twice as much as non-AI work on average, yet women in the field are concentrated in lower-paid roles such as data annotation.
Across AI occupations, men’s median pay is $45,000 higher than women’s, while women are also more likely to work in jobs like customer service that face high exposure to AI-driven disruption.
Women in AI cited referral-based hiring, scarce female mentorship, 12-hour work cultures and career breaks such as maternity leave as barriers to staying current in a fast-moving field.
Advocates say cutbacks to corporate DEI programs and tougher political scrutiny of women-focused initiatives risk turning today’s participation gap into a broader power and mobility gap.
As AI reshapes the economy, how can women bypass biased informal networks to secure high-paying executive roles instead of unstable gig work?
Will the rapid pace of AI advancement force a complete redesign of corporate maternity leave and caregiving policies to retain top female talent?
The 2025–2026 AI Gender Gap: Data, Economic Impact, and Solutions for Closing the Divide
Overview
The report reveals that women remain significantly underrepresented in high-paying AI roles, which threatens to widen the gender wealth gap. This is compounded by factors such as greater caregiving responsibilities, less time for upskilling, and higher risks of job displacement due to automation. Women are also less likely to adopt AI tools, leading to AI systems being trained on male-dominated data and reinforcing gender stereotypes. Organizational barriers, like waiting for explicit guidance before using AI, further limit women's advancement. However, proactive measures—such as nominating women for AI projects and structured mentorship programs—can help build a more equitable talent pipeline and close the gap.