The tech shift: will women keep their jobs as AI moves in?

Technological innovations, such as artificial intelligence (AI), are rapidly changing the job market. Some argue that female-dominated jobs that go digital risk being taken over by men. But is this really true?

– There is a widespread perception that more men would be recruited when technical requirements increase in a profession, says Malin Backman, who recently defended her PhD at Uppsala University.

In her doctoral thesis, she has investigated whether increased demands for digital skills, and the introduction of technological innovations in female-dominated professions, lead to more men being employed. She has analyzed data from the Swedish Public Employment Service’s Platsbanken and Swedish register data.

– There is no evidence that more men are recruited when technological innovations are introduced into a business. Quite the opposite, says Malin Backman.

The study shows that women, especially between the ages of 35 and 50, are not only keeping their jobs in administrative occupations. They also adapt quickly to the new technological requirements.

– This indicates a high degree of flexibility and willingness to learn new things. And this is generally true across the labor market – people tend to learn what is required of them as job roles change.

Technology is not changing gender segregation

Despite rapid technological developments, the labor market remains highly segregated by gender. Malin Backman argues that much bigger changes than technological development are needed to disrupt this pattern.

– If an occupation is strongly associated with a particular gender, it takes a lot before we see big swings in the labor market. Technological developments will not change that on their own, she says.

The future impact of AI

When it comes to the role of AI in the future, Malin Backman emphasizes the importance of clarifying what kind of technology we are talking about.

– We need to be careful about what we mean by AI, because the applications are so many and so broad.

She points to examples where AI can impact different professions depending on the gender distribution. Female-dominated fields such as text production and graphic design could be largely automated. Meanwhile, male-dominated roles in analytics and data management face similar changes.

– It’s more about which tasks are automated, rather than entire occupational categories. Women have so far adapted well to new technological requirements – and this is likely to be the case with AI as well, says Malin Backman.

Contact malin.heintz@arbetsformedlingen.se

More about the thesis
Malin Backman recently defended her thesis at Uppsala University Essays on Women in the Labor Market Technology, Inequality, and the Future of Work.