The Consequences of Digitisation for Gender Inequality on the Labour Market – Substitution Potential and Employment Development for Women and Men

Abstract

"The digital transformation has an impact on the labour market and thus also on existing gender inequalities. There are arguments that digital transformation can either exacerbate or reduce existing gender inequalities in the labour market. This article provides descriptive evidence that women are less likely to perform highly substitutable occupations than men – even across all job profiles. However, it can by no means be deduced from this that women are more likely to benefit from digital transformation. Not only do the technological possibilities vary greatly within occupations, but the substitution potentials are also not always and immediately realised. The results from the multivariate analysis show that there is a negative association between occupation-specific substitution potentials and employment development for women and men. Employment shrank between 2013 and 2016, particularly in occupations with high substitution potentials and a low proportion of women. Overall, it can be concluded that the digital transformation has the potential to reduce gender inequalities in the labour market. This will, however, crucially depend on how new technologies are designed and implemented." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Cite article

Burkert, C., Dengler, K. & Matthes, B. (2022): Die Folgen der Digitalisierung für die Geschlechterungleichheit auf dem Arbeitsmarkt – Substituierbarkeitspotenziale und die Beschäftigungsentwicklung bei Frauen und Männern. In: Sozialer Fortschritt, Vol. 71, No. 1, p. 3-27. DOI:10.3790/sfo.71.1.3