Artificial Intelligence can be used to improve gender equality, says European organisation

Author Moonshot.news

Published on: 31/01/2022

Artificial intelligence and platform work can improve gender equality in the economy but strong action on European level is needed in order to fight sexism, discrimination and lack of social protection. EU and Member States should be aware of gender impacts of new technologies; require publicly funded projects to have balanced numbers of women and men, and train engineers and computer scientists in how to avoid bias.

This was the message from the European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE) Director, Carlien Scheele, addressing the French EU Presidency’s ministerial Paris conference on women’s economic empowerment.

“AI and gig work are parts of the economy of the future, and we need to make sure they’re designed and regulated in a way that protects people. Some 10 % of the EU population has already done gig work such as food delivery or ride-hailing. AI is also increasingly becoming part of our day-to-day lives, so it is good the EU is drawing up legislation on both. This is our opportunity to edit out the age-old stereotypes, sexism and discrimination of the labour market, and to create a modern reality that serves the needs of both women and men.”

Data from an EIGE survey comprising 5 000 platform workers shows that there are more women (36%) than men (28%) doing platform work combining it with household work with many working at night, weekend, and at hours they cannot choose.

”Platform workers can also be observed using time-tracking software, which deducts ‘low productivity time’ from pay. Such software can pose a particular threat to those caring for small children.”

With platform work, there is a higher share of men doing jobs traditionally done by women than there is in the traditional labour market, the study shows.

”While this can help challenge stereotypes about the type of work done by women and men, EIGE’s survey shows that highly educated women are more likely to do jobs that do not match their level of education, which puts them at greater risk of losing their skills”, Scheele said.

”New proposed EU legislation to improve the working conditions of platform workers should help bring more of them into formal employment, which will bring rights such as a minimum wage, limits to working time and paid leave.”

”In the meantime, EU Member States need to protect the many platform workers whose lack of status as formal employees has made them ineligible for government support during COVID-19. This is despite fact that many have faced serious financial difficulties.”

EIGE stresses that today, over 28 million people in the EU work through digital labour platforms. In 2025, their number is expected to reach 43 million people. Between 2016 and 2020, the revenues in the platform economy grew almost fivefold from an estimated €3 billion to around €14 billion.

”In the EU and the UK, just 16 % of those working on AI are women. The share gets smaller with career progression: women with 10+ years’ experience make up just 12 % of AI professionals. Male-dominated environments and lack of access to funding may contribute to women leaving the industry.”

Scheele stressed that algorithms can replicate bias and discrimination with for instance algorithms being trained with biased data to perpetuate discriminatory hiring practices.

“This can lead to women’s CVs being automatically discarded because their profile doesn’t fit that of people who were hired before – a problem in an organisation mainly made up of men.”