Source: Fortune
Summary
Research from the Stanford Digital Economy Lab and ADP Research found that young women are falling behind young men in the entry-level job market, but it’s not primarily due to artificial intelligence. The study analyzed data from 4.6 million workers and over 730 occupations and found that women’s slower employment growth is largely due to their overrepresentation in AI-exposed occupations, rather than AI treating women differently. The researchers suggest that the gap is driven by occupational composition rather than AI exposure.
Our Reading
The numbers tell one story. The Canaries Dashboard’s latest update reveals that young women’s employment growth is slower than young men’s, but the gap isn’t primarily driven by AI exposure. Women are more likely to work in AI-exposed occupations, but their slower growth is seen across all levels of AI exposure. The researchers conclude that occupational composition, rather than AI treatment, is the main driver of the gap.
Women’s overrepresentation in AI-exposed roles means they’re more exposed to the disruption of tasks, which is a byproduct of occupational sorting that predates generative AI. The researchers suggest that further research is needed to understand the underlying causes of women’s flatter growth curve.
Author: Evan Null
