Does Job Automation Consider Gender Equality?
Analysis Shows The Impact Of Job Automation Might Not Be So Straightforward
It’s no secret that the world of work is set to change irreversibly as more industries start to implement automation and artificial intelligence. Robots will someday take our jobs — but not all our jobs. Actually, we don’t really know how many. Nor do we understand which jobs will be eliminated and which will be transitioned into what some say will be better, less tedious work.
Here’s a quick exercise. Close your eyes and picture a workplace where robots replaced the job of an ordinary worker. Now ask yourself: in your mental picture, was that worker a man or a woman? Chances are, if you have been following popular coverage of automation, the worker you envisioned was a man. Most technology related news stories spotlights one demographic only: men. Even a quick Google image search for the terms “robots” “AI” and “jobs” illustrates this nearly exclusive visual representation of men. Rarely do the images ever depict a woman.
But are men in the demographic most likely to be impacted by technological change and automation? Analysis suggests otherwise.
