Joshua Potter’s article is additionally featured in The Generation’s Spring 2022 Digital Print Edition: Women. Coming June 1st 2022.
Automation has been ever since the Industrial Revolution , and due to recent events it will affect women more than ever. The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated many trends due to its destructive nature, and one such way is through massive automation effects around the globe due to lack of labor. Particularly throughout the United States, millions have quit their jobs in the phenomenon dubbed “The Great Resignation.” Due to the current labor shortage, the pandemic may be accelerating the trend of automation to tackle these issues and drastically change labor relations for years to come. . However, one of the issues with this increase will be the effect that it has on women, as they stand to lose the most in an ever increasingly automated world.
One of the keys to understanding automation’s effects on women labor is to exhibit how automation is starting to introduce itself to all occupations. In previous years, blue-collar workers were most at risk of losing their jobs to automation in factories or to self-checkout lines, but now this trend has spread to white-collar work as well. But recent research indicates that white-collar jobs are increasingly being taken over by machines — maybe not by robots directly, but certainly facing pressures from artificial intelligence (AI) and machine-learning solutions. Just as robots are now displacing blue-collar workers, advances in artificial intelligence are beginning to displace accountants, lawyers, and other service-based professions.1 This is nothing new, and historically automation increases more during a recession since humans cost more to employ. Machines are designed to serve us in numerous ways, they don’t need paid time off, scheduling changes, or health insurance . It has been estimated that up to 45 million Americans will lose their jobs to automation by the year 2030.2 Unfortunately, women will lose many of these jobs.
A big reason for this trend is because of the occupations where women work, and that’s why it is estimated that women are twice as likely to be replaced by automation than men. These figures are even higher when considering BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Color) women. One of the reasons for this can be traced back to the demographic history of working women in the 20th century in the United States. During the second world war, millions of men went overseas for the war effort, and male dominated work such as working in the factories went to women.3 Due to the labor shortage, this allowed millions of women to leave the home and enter the workforce. However, the majority of these women were demobilized and these jobs went back to men once the war ended. Because of the baby boom that occured around the same time, women were needed for a variety of positions such as clerical work and frontline service jobs, and they continue to dominate these positions today. In 2017, the Bureau of Labor Statistics found that 22 million people are employed in office and administrative tasks, and the majority are women.4 Unfortunately, these are the same positions that can be replaced by automation, and in the near future we may see millions of women struggling for work.
This trend isn’t specific to the United States either. A study by the International Monetary Fund found that over 26 million women from over 30 countries could lose their jobs to automation within the next 20 years.5 This is likely due to the fact that women have been excluded from certain industries for years, and they have to look for clerical positions that can be replaced with advancements in technology. Even if white collar jobs are being eliminated, men in those positions will have more skills and connections that would give them a better chance to find work, while women are left behind. We must ensure that no one is abandoned in our ever-changing society, and other countries are already leading the way.
If we know that women are more susceptible to losing their clerical positions, then why don’t they join other industries? One reason is because many women are still the primary caretaker for children and handle most household tasks in the United States.6 Furthermore, childcare is expensive throughout the country and due to the cost many mothers have to stay home instead of being in the workforce.7 Increasing childcare benefits or subsidizing child care altogether could allow more women to further their education to obtain different types of jobs. However, this isn’t the only reason. This is because many professions are male-domainated. For example, construction is a massive industry with over seven million workers, but few women work in this industry.8 This is due to a lack of recruitment by employers, as well as stereotypes that it is “man’s work.” However, there are many other careers but are male dominated; such as Software Developers, Aerospace Engineers, Aircraft pilots, and many others. Even when women can break into blue-collar work, they are often looked down upon. When women worked at electrical plants in the 1960’s and 70’s, women were placed at the lowest level in the blue-collar hierarchy, with newly hired men placed above them. They also had worse pay and fewer highly skilled positions.9 Sexism in the working place is unfortunately nothing new, and because of societal pressure it is one of the major reasons why women risk losing to automation. We are seeing that more traditional trends of men being breadwinners is decreasing as is marriage rates and child born, but since this is a societal view only time can change these viewpoints. However, we can look to other countries to see how to manage the transition from human to automation work.
South Korea is one of the most heavily automated countries in the world, and its robot density has been increasing rapidly since 2015.10 In combination with the pandemic, some South Koreans have been struggling looking for work, and few groups have been hit harder than women working in the service industry. The labor rate for the country is not optimistic, as the rate for women stands at 53% in South Korea, compared with 73% for men.11 However, the country is taking steps to mitigate some of the issues that rapid automation has created. For example, the government plans to expand it’s employment insurance policy to over 20 million people in the country, as well as provide stipends for younger people that are struggling to find work in these trying times.12 Nonetheless, it is difficult to predict whether or not this will be enough to offset the loss of income as people look for work.
An important aspect of this discussion has to do with where the growth in automation is taking place.13 It’s no coincidence that eight out of the ten countries with the highest robot destiny also have some of the highest average per capita wealth on the planet.14 While countries such as South Korea have the means to offset changes in their labor demographics, developing countries and the women in them will be hardest hit. One of the big reasons for this is that many of these countries rely on manufacturing, and with advancements in technology these jobs can be automated easier, leaving people without work.15 This is not the only industry at risk, and in worst-case scenarios, whole economies will be left vulnerable. Developing countries’ risk of job loss from automation ranges from 55-85%, which is higher than the 57% risk in wealthier OECD countries.16 Without proper support, the effects of this could be devastating, leading to violence and political instability. Furthermore, the industries that are most vulnerable have a majority of working women. For example, a Mckinsey study found that over half of retail and food service positions can be automated.17 This would lead to millions of women losing their jobs in the coming decades, and would also mean the loss of financial security for many women. Not only that, but this would contribute to the ever widening growth gap that is happening around the globe. While developed countries will be in a better position to provide for women affected by these changes, they will be affected everywhere. However, changes can be made to alleviate some of the issues created by widespread automation.
Something that we can do to ensure that women can still find jobs is to make it easier for them to have the education and training needed to switch careers. Many educational programs are designed to prepare people for a certain type of job, but that is inefficient if that position will cease to exist down the line. One idea is to allow education to become more flexible, and allow women to only focus on what they need to do. One way for this to occur would be to have training programs primarily online, and due to the pandemic pushing all of us further online this change will not be as difficult. Also, nanodegrees or micro credentials provided by online education platforms such as Udacity and Coursera can be used for mid-career adjustments at low cost.18 There are numerous options available, but its critical reform is made as soon as possible. The longer we wait the more women will struggle if they are let go and can not find any work.
While this paper brought up possible consequences of automation for women, this does not have to be the case. With proper reform and policy, automation can be used to lessen the amount of labor needed for certain tasks, and ensure a safer working environment. For this to happen, meaningful change has to occur and women need more support to make sure that they are not further left behind. Automation can lead to a more equitable world, but only time will tell if this is accomplished.
Endnotes
1. Busch, Jason. “White-Collar Jobs Are Increasingly Being Automated.” In Business Madison, 18 Oct. 2021, https://www.ibmadison.com/white-collar-jobs-are-increasingly-automated/#:~:text=Research%20suggests%20artificial%20intelligence%20and,more%20easily%20automated%20than%20others.&text=Professionals%20with%20college%20degrees%20and,felt%20relatively%20safe%20from%20automation.
2. Carey, Kevin. “Do Not Be Alarmed by Wild Predictions of Robots Taking Everyone’s Jobs.” Slate Magazine, Slate, 31 Mar. 2021, https://slate.com/technology/2021/03/job-loss-automation-robots-predictions.html.
3. “Striking Women.” Post World War II: 1946-1970 | Striking Women, https://www.striking-women.org/module/women-and-work/post-world-war-ii-1946-1970.
4. Kinder, Molly. “The Future of Work for Women.” New America, 25 Feb. 2019, https://www.newamerica.org/work-workers-technology/shiftlabs/blog/future-work-women/.
5. Majumdar, Romita. “Working Women More Vulnerable to Automation than Men, Says IMF Report.” Business Standard, Business-Standard, 22 Dec. 2018, https://www.business-standard.com/article/economy-policy/working-women-more-vulnerable-to-automation-than-men-says-imf-report-118122200699_1.html.
6. Brenan, Megan. “Women Still Handle Main Household Tasks in U.S.” Gallup.com, Gallup, 20 Nov. 2021, https://news.gallup.com/poll/283979/women-handle-main-household-tasks.aspx.
7. Whitehurst, Grover J. “Russ”. “Why the Federal Government Should Subsidize Childcare and How to Pay for It.” Brookings, Brookings, 9 Mar. 2022, https://www.brookings.edu/research/why-the-federal-government-should-subsidize-childcare-and-how-to-pay-for-it/.
8. “U.S. Construction Employees 2000-2021.” Statista, Statista Research Department, 19 Jan. 2022, https://www.statista.com/statistics/187412/number-of-employees-in-us-construction/.
9. Blum, Linda M. “Constrained Choices: Women’s Interest in Women’s Work.” Between Feminism and Labor: The Significance of the Comparable Worth Movement, University of California Press, Berkeley, Ca, 1991, pp. 132–140.
10. Wessling, Brianna. “10 Most Automated Countries Worldwide.” The Robot Report, 15 Dec. 2021, https://www.therobotreport.com/10-most-automated-countries-wordlwide-in-2020/.
11. King, Sam, and Jeong-Ho Lee. “Korean Workers Need to Make Space for Robots, Minister Says.” Bloomberg.com, Bloomberg, 13 Apr. 2021, https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-04-13/south-korea-workers-need-to-make-space-for-robots-minister-says.
12. King, Sam, and Jeong-Ho Lee. “Korean Workers Need to Make Space for Robots, Minister Says.” Bloomberg.com, Bloomberg, 13 Apr. 2021, https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-04-13/south-korea-workers-need-to-make-space-for-robots-minister-says.
13. Wessling, Brianna. “10 Most Automated Countries Worldwide.” The Robot Report, 15 Dec. 2021, https://www.therobotreport.com/10-most-automated-countries-wordlwide-in-2020/.
14. Papadopoulos, Anna. “Richest Countries Globally with Average per Capita Wealth.” CEOWORLD Magazine, 26 July 2021, https://ceoworld.biz/2021/07/26/richest-countries-globally-with-average-per-capita-wealth/.
15. Khor , Martian. Automation, Robots and the Threat of Economic Disruption in Developing Countries, The Third Resurgence , 2017, https://www.twn.my/title2/resurgence/2017/319-320/cover01.htm#:~:text=Recent%20studies%20are%20showing%20that,the%20already%20great%20global%20inequalities.
16. Khor , Martian. Automation, Robots and the Threat of Economic Disruption in Developing Countries, The Third Resurgence , 2017, https://www.twn.my/title2/resurgence/2017/319-320/cover01.htm#:~:text=Recent%20studies%20are%20showing%20that,the%20already%20great%20global%20inequalities.
17. Manyika, James, et al. “A Future That Works: Automation, Employment, and Productivity.” McKinsey & Company, McKinsey & Company, 3 May 2018, https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/digital-disruption/harnessing-automation-for-a-future-that-works/de-DE. 18. Cerf, Moran, et al. “3 Practical Solutions to Offset Automation’s Impact on Work.” Singularity Hub, 7 Apr. 2019, https://singularityhub.com/2019/03/11/3-practical-solutions-to-offset-automations-impact-on-work/.
