The digitalization of the workplace around the world is creating a fragmented system in which “women are five times more likely to be affected by technological advancement, in comparison to their male counterparts.” This is according to new recommendations for addressing the economic impact of technological change on women and girls, prepared by Amnesty International for the 2018 International Institute of Finance G20 Conference in Argentina.
Because women dominate the informal, “less-productive and lower-paid sectors” of the economy, “their jobs are more insecure, and they are at higher risk of extreme low pay than men" as companies automate and embrace the on-demand “gig” economy. Additionally, women continue to be under-represented in key science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields, particularly in rural areas and emerging economies, further exacerbating the digital divide. Taken together, these trends challenge the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals of full equality of opportunity for women by 2030, as well as the G20’s 2014 commitment to reduce the gender gap in the labor market by 2025.
Compiled from: Recommendations to the G20 in 2018 on the Impact of Technology on Women in the Workforce, Amnesty International (March 27, 2018).