A new report from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has found that women face a greater threat of losing their jobs to technology than their male counterparts.
According to the study, up to 26 million women in major economies could see their jobs displaced within the next two decades, if technology continues at its current rate. That puts 11 percent of women at high risk (70 percent likelihood) of job disruption compared to 9 percent of men. The report stated that this could lead to a further widening of the pay gap between men and women.
The IMF study showed that disparity is led primarily by occupational divides, which see women disproportionately represented in low-skilled, clerical and sales roles that are routine-heavy and therefore prone to automation. That’s a result of both “self-selection” (women choosing certain professions) as well as exposure.
As a programmer, I could have automated a high number of jobs at the majority of workplaces even...I dunno...15 years ago? But you know what, many of them didn't get eliminated right away. Some jobs will be eliminated...and new ones will open up, and people will adapt. People will learn to do the jobs that are available. More and more jobs are capable of being automated...but that doesn't mean they all will. The code has to be there, and it has to be easier than just hiring someone to do it. And even if it is easy, many times things won't move forward that quickly. Just look at how many people just throw things out rather than listing them for sale online. What's possible doesn't necessarily have anything to do with what's likely.