Women workers in the Philippines may face greater workplace risks as generative artificial intelligence spreads across industries, according to new research from the International Labor Organization, which found that female-dominated jobs are more vulnerable to automation.
In a research brief released on March 5 titled “Gen AI, occupational segregation and gender equality in the world of work,” the ILO said women globally are more exposed to GenAI because they are concentrated in occupations that are easier to automate while remaining underrepresented in technology-related roles.
The study showed women face higher GenAI exposure than men in 88 percent of the countries analyzed, including the Philippines. In several economies such as the Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the Philippines, more than 40 percent of women’s employment is exposed to the technology.
The disparity is linked to occupational segregation. The report found that 29 percent of female-dominated occupations are exposed to GenAI, nearly twice the 16 percent exposure seen in male-dominated roles.
Around 16 percent of female-dominated jobs fall into the highest exposure categories, compared with only 3 percent of male-dominated occupations.
Women are strongly represented in clerical and administrative positions including secretaries, receptionists, payroll clerks and accounting assistants. Many of these roles involve routine tasks that can be automated by AI systems.
“Generative AI is not entering a neutral labour market,” said ILO researcher Anam Butt. She said women are concentrated in occupations more likely to face automation while remaining underrepresented in AI-related jobs, placing them at higher risk while offering fewer opportunities in the technological shift.
The gender imbalance is also visible in the tech sector itself. Women accounted for only about 30 percent of the global AI workforce in 2022, highlighting a persistent gap in science and technology fields that could shape how the benefits and risks of AI are distributed in the future of work.
