Tech innovations can be great for businesses. But they also have some downsides.
For one, technology has the ability to make certain jobs obsolete, making it harder for actual humans to find work in some fields. But while that technology also has the ability to create new jobs in different types of fields, it’s not exactly an even trade.
Men Favored When Jobs Eliminated by Technology
In STEM fields in particular, it seems that women are more likely to lose jobs to technology. The World Economic Forum estimates that women will only gain one job for every 20 lost to technology. And men will gain one job for every four lost to technology. This disparity is due in part to the already large gender gap in STEM fields, as well as the types of jobs that women and men are likely to hold within those fields.
Technology can provide a ton of new opportunities to businesses and individuals alike. So halting innovation out of fairness to workers isn’t likely to happen. But studies have also shown that gender equality in the workplace is good for the economy. And if the economy is in good shape, it’s better for business.
Women Engineers Photo via Shutterstock
Aira Bongco
I don’t think that technology is a threat to women. While there are some jobs that can be substituted by technology. Still, there is something different with a job done by a real human being.
Annie Pilon
I agree – I think it’s only more likely to impact female employees because of the jobs they currently hold in those industries. But that all can change as businesses and employees adapt to different kinds of technology
Robin Jorgenson1
All great companies know that innovation comes from teamwork. Why take out the human element? We can learn from AI as AI can learn from beings. Create a co-hart team using AI technology.