AI Jobs Are Booming, but Women Are Being Left Behind

Summary

Artificial intelligence is creating some of the fastest-growing and highest-paying jobs, but women are gaining access to them at a much lower rate. LinkedIn research says women accounted for about a quarter of new AI hires in the past year, compared with 50% of non-AI hires; their share falls to 13% in executive roles. AI job postings have doubled since 2023, and these roles pay more than twice as much on average as jobs without AI involvement, yet women in AI are disproportionately concentrated in lower-paid work such as data annotation. Across AI occupations, men have a median pay advantage of $45,000. Women are also more likely to work in roles such as customer service that have high exposure to AI disruption. Interviews describe additional barriers, including male-dominated teams, limited mentorship, referral-based hiring, demanding hours and the difficulty of returning after parental leave as models and frameworks change rapidly. Advocates warn that companies’ retreat from diversity programs could widen both the participation gap and the distribution of economic power created by AI.