Despite how far we’ve come, there’s still a long way to go to achieve equality in the workplace. With each technological advancement comes hope for a fairer society and equal opportunities for women and men.

In this guide, we look at some ways AI can help women overcome barriers in the workplace and advance their careers.

Reducing bias

Many companies are using AI to automatically screen candidate CVs, rather than having a hiring manager assess each one themselves. Where women may have once lost out on opportunities due to recruiter bias (whether conscious or unconscious), they can now benefit from a much fairer screening process.

AI can pick out applicants who best match a job description, based on having the required skills and experience to succeed in the role. Essentially, AI allows companies to hire candidates based on their suitability for the role, rather than imposing any gender bias. 

Similarly, AI can generate job adverts that seek an equal balance of stereotypically masculine and stereotypically feminine traits, encouraging both men and women to apply for the same roles.

Eliminating administrative tasks

Women have traditionally found themselves in supporting roles in the workplace. Even today, women are much more likely to be given “office housework” tasks to complete than their male colleagues.

Because AI is being used to automate so many of these tasks, the weight of the responsibility to complete them no longer falls entirely on women. Of course, support roles shouldn’t have to be eliminated for women to be taken seriously in leadership positions, but reducing that “housework” workload certainly does help to break this barrier to progression. 

Training opportunities

AI can be helpful to women looking to upskill in their roles. With access to industry data and insights, women can identify which skills are most in demand for the roles they’re pursuing, and then use AI to develop an appropriate training strategy that’ll help get them there. This can be particularly useful for women in highly saturated industries who are keen to get ahead of their competition.

For example, AI can be used to identify gaps in a professional’s skill set, or even amongst a team of people. This ability to identify specific problem areas can help women hone the skills they need to advance their careers.

What can employers do to help?

The introduction of AI is already helping women to advance in their careers. However, the technology isn’t perfect – it’s important to recognise that there are limitations to AI as well as benefits that women will need to navigate to make the most of the technology.

Of course, the majority of issues related to inequality in the workplace are the responsibility of employers to resolve. While women can utilise AI to better their chances, it’s an employer’s job to ensure they’re also providing adequate opportunities for women.

AI is only helpful so long as those programming it are aware of its limitations, and work to ensure they don’t impact the opportunities available to women. This means ensuring the technology and any company processes are continuously assessed, to identify gaps and resolve them effectively. It also means continuously thinking of ways to improve, both with and without the help of AI.

If employers choose to adopt and work with AI technology in a beneficial way, many of the barriers to progression women face can be eliminated, leaving them with an easier path to career advancement.

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Lily is passionate about empowering women in modern workplaces and enjoys sharing insights on hot topics such as AI. She also enjoys painting and cycling.