Women could face a disproportionate share of job disruption as artificial intelligence becomes more widely adopted, with past technological shifts offering clues about how the workforce may adapt.
AI systems are increasingly capable of handling routine administrative tasks, processing information and identifying patterns — responsibilities common in occupations where women make up a large share of workers.
Ariane Hegewisch, a senior research fellow at the Institute for Women’s Policy Research, said women remain heavily represented in clerical and administrative roles, leaving them particularly exposed to automation.
Research from the International Labour Organization published in March found that nearly one in 10 women in high-income countries work in occupations at the highest risk of AI exposure.
Telephone operators offer a warning from history
The experience of American telephone operators illustrates how automation can eliminate established careers. In the 1940s, women accounted for nearly 95% of telephone operators in the United States.
The job required months of training, speed, accuracy, and strong communication skills. However, the introduction of automated telephone switching systems gradually made many of these positions unnecessary.
An estimated 75,000 operator jobs disappeared as the technology spread across the country.
Economists James Feigenbaum of Boston University and Daniel P. Gross of Duke University examined employment and earnings data to understand the consequences. Their research found that many existing operators lost their jobs and moved into lower-paying work or left the workforce altogether.
Economist David Autor has explained that workers often build their careers around occupations that provide their best earning opportunities. When technology makes those jobs obsolete, moving into another field can mean accepting lower pay or less favourable conditions.
Younger workers found new opportunities
The long-term picture was more encouraging for younger women entering the labour market after telephone automation.
Feigenbaum and Gross found that future generations were more likely to adapt to changing economic conditions and find jobs of comparable quality in other sectors.
Their findings suggest that although automation can cause serious disruption for workers already established in a profession, its effects on future generations may be less severe as new occupations and opportunities emerge.
The distinction is important for today's AI debate: workers currently performing automatable tasks may face greater immediate challenges than people who have yet to begin their careers.
Technology has also expanded women's employment
Not every technological shift has reduced women's economic opportunities. The spread of washing machines and other household appliances during the 20th century helped reduce the time required for unpaid domestic work.
Economists have described these innovations as “engines of liberation” because they allowed more time to be devoted to paid employment, although women continued to shoulder substantial household responsibilities.
Between 1950 and 1980, the number of employed women in the United States increased by more than 25 million. Women's labour-force participation rate rose from 34% to 52% during the period, as changing social expectations and new technology helped reshape working life.
This history demonstrates that technology can both displace workers and create conditions that enable more people to participate in the economy.
Preparing for AI's impact
The historical evidence points to a mixed outlook for women as AI adoption accelerates. Workers in administrative and clerical occupations may face significant pressure, particularly when their responsibilities consist largely of predictable, repetitive tasks.
However, the disappearance of a particular occupation does not necessarily mean that future generations will have fewer opportunities. The outcome depends on whether workers can transition into new roles and whether emerging industries create jobs with comparable pay and prospects.
For policymakers, employers, and workers, the challenge will be to manage the transition so that the benefits of AI are not accompanied by a disproportionate loss of economic security for women.
The history of telephone operators offers a clear lesson: technological progress can permanently change the value of existing skills, but its long-term consequences for employment are not predetermined.
Source: CNBC