The Impact of Automation and AI on Women’s Employment: A Historical Perspective
- Historically, telephone switch operators were predominantly women, representing a significant occupation that has since vanished.
- AI is predicted to impact clerical and administrative jobs, where women hold 90% of positions, with recent studies indicating many women in high-income countries are at risk.
- While technology often displaces jobs, past trends show that new opportunities can emerge, benefiting future generations of women.
Long before artificial intelligence became a household term with the likes of Siri, Alexa, or ChatGPT, there was a human element that played a vital role in communication: the telephone switch operator. This occupation was predominantly filled by women, representing the largest job sector for white, U.S.-born women under the age of 20; however, it no longer exists today.
The emergence of artificial intelligence raises significant questions about the future of jobs across society, especially for women. Historical patterns in technological advancement—from automated telephone systems to household appliances—suggest that women are likely to be heavily impacted by the rise of AI.
Ariane Hegewisch, a senior research fellow at the Institute for Women’s Policy Research, remarks, “AI is focused on routine tasks and numbers and finding patterns, and those types of jobs are the clerical, administrative jobs that a lot of women hold,” noting that 90% of secretaries and clerical workers are women. Research from the International Labour Organization indicates that nearly one in ten women in high-income countries occupy occupations most vulnerable to AI.
The Invention That Made Operators Obsolete
In the 1940s, around 95% of America’s telephone operators were women, a position that required extensive training to manage hundreds of calls during peak times. This role was significant and relatively well-paying for women at the time. The introduction of the automated telephone switch by AT&T marked a major shift; this technological advancement resulted in approximately 75,000 operator positions being eliminated in the following decades.
Economists James Feigenbaum of Boston University and Daniel P. Gross of Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business studied the consequences of AT&T’s automation investments and noted that many former operators found themselves in lower-paying jobs or exited the workforce completely.
David Autor, another economist, highlights a broader trend: many individuals do not frequently change their careers and typically pursue jobs they trained for early on. When these positions vanish, workers often face significant setbacks. Conversely, Feigenbaum and Gross observed that the next generation of women subsequently adapted and found employment in other fields, often securing jobs of similar quality, suggesting that anxieties over future job availability may have been unfounded.
Engines of Liberation
The 1950s saw the advent of the washing machine, another technological innovation that had a transformative effect on women’s roles in society. Research by University of Pennsylvania economist Jeremy Greenwood referred to washing machines as “engines of liberation,” as they significantly reduced the time women spent on domestic tasks, allowing their efforts to shift towards paid employment. Between 1950 and 1980, the number of women in the U.S. workforce surged by more than 25 million, increasing their labor force participation rate from 34% to 52%.
This period of economic growth raised questions about the labor market dynamics related to the AI surge. As women entered the workforce, demand for services like childcare and food preparation shifted from the home to the paid economy. Additionally, as the U.S. economy expanded, opportunities in retail, professional services, and clerical work opened up, driven by the increased need for administrative personnel.
The Rise of the PC
The introduction of personal computers marked another significant shift for women’s employment. By 1980, women comprised over 98% of the 4.7 million secretaries, stenographers, and typists working in the U.S. The emergence of PCs, initiated by IBM in 1981 and followed by Microsoft Word in 1983, led to decreased reliance on traditional clerical roles as executives began performing tasks previously reserved for these workers.
Despite this, the transition to PCs also offered women new opportunities. Studies indicated that women were more likely than men to utilize computers at work during this transitional phase. Many adapted, leveraging newfound technological skills to enhance their roles within organizations. This shift is reminiscent of potential outcomes with AI, where tasks may be automated but not entire jobs, allowing workers to increase their productivity in value-added areas.
Recent research shows that while the introduction of software for office tasks resulted in a 1% decline in employment in that sector, it concurrently promoted a 3% increase in wages for college graduates. With more women obtaining higher education and managerial roles than in previous technological revolutions, there is some potential resilience against automation. However, the ongoing advancements in AI pose innovative challenges, as noted by Hegewisch, who reminds us, “AI can learn.”
News Courtesy of CNBC
