Women’s News: The AI gender gap

Research shows the gender gap in AI is widening, with women significantly underrepresented in the AI workforce and facing limited access to tools and training. 

• Only 29% of AI-skilled workers are women, leaving a 42 percentage point gap compared to men. Women are also less likely to be offered AI upskilling opportunities and feel less prepared to use the training they do receive.

• Experts say this imbalance isn’t just about fairness—it’s hurting innovation and creating biased algorithms. Plus, with AI driving high-paying jobs, the gap could deepen gender pay disparities and limit women’s career prospects.

• Solutions include investing in AI training for women, starting STEM education earlier, and showcasing more female leaders in the field. Policies like tax incentives and workplace mentorship programs could also help close the divide.

👉️ Worldwide perception of women’s leadership competency is declining. The Reykjavík Index measures societal views on the suitability of women versus men as business and political leaders, and its latest score for the G7 nations (U.S., Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and the U.K.) was the lowest since the index’s launch in 2018.

👉️ Forbes ranked the world’s most “feminist” countries based on factors like gender equality and attention to women’s rights. Spoiler: we should all move to Scandinavia.

👉️ Women fleeing the civil war in Sudan are now facing sexual exploitation in refugee camps, with some claiming they’re forced to trade sex for basic necessities like food or aid.

👉️ Bonus: It’s been 35 years since the fall of the Berlin Wall, but echoes of its impact on women remain. East Germany’s communist policies pushed many women into the workforce, while those in the West were more often homemakers. Today, the former East has slightly higher female workforce participation and better childcare availability than the West.

👉️ A Pew Research study found that one in five Americans keeps up with current events through “news influencers” on social media—and that, among those influencers, men outnumber women two-to-one.

👉️ Disillusioned X users are flocking to Bluesky, a new social media app that’s gained over 7 million new sign ups since the election—and it’s run by a woman. 33-year-old CEO Jay Graber has been leading the charge since the company spun off from Twitter in 2021.

👉️ Daniela Cavallo, head of Volkswagen’s powerful employee union, is facing the “battle of her career” as she fights against proposed wage cuts and factory closures that would impact the 680,000 employees she represents. 

👉️ Jessica Tisch will take over as NYPD Commissioner next week, becoming the second woman ever to hold the role.

👉️ Women now comprise seven of Donald Trump’s 33 staff and cabinet appointments, accounting for 21% of the controversial bunch. 

• This week, Trump nominated former wrestling executive Linda McMahon for education secretary, tapped former Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard as director of national intelligence, and selected Karoline Leavitt for White House press secretary, making her the youngest person ever to hold the position. 

👉️ The number of candidates accused of sexual assault nearly matches the number of women appointments.

• Matt Gaetz withdrew from consideration for Attorney General following continued scrutiny of a federal sex trafficking investigation. Last night, Trump announced his plans to nominate Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi instead.

• A police report released this week detailed sexual assault allegations against defense secretary pick Pete Hegseth, who asserts the 2017 encounter was consensual. In 2023, Hegseth paid the accuser an unknown sum to prevent a lawsuit.

• Nominees Elon Musk and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. have both faced accusations of sexual assault and misconduct from former employees.

👉️ House Speaker Mike Johnson announced that transgender women would not be allowed to use women’s restrooms in the Capitol and House buildings, a move that comes two weeks after Sarah McBride became the first openly trans person elected to Congress.

👉️ A group of women in Idaho is suing the state to clarify and broaden the definition of medical emergencies exempted from its near-total abortion ban. The seven plaintiffs were all denied abortions despite experiencing severe pregnancy complications.

👉️ A Croatian scientist treated her own breast cancer by injecting the tumor with an experimental virus-based therapy, successfully causing it to shrink enough to be surgically removed. 

👉️ Women are diagnosed with anxiety at nearly double the rate of men, which can lead medical professionals to overlook other potential causes—such as thyroid issues or heart conditions—when symptoms like trouble sleeping or a racing heart appear.

👉️ Ski champion Lindsey Vonn is ditching retirement to rejoin the U.S. team at age 40, nearly six years after her last competition.

👉️ Businesswoman and sports advocate Michele Kang pledged a historic $30 million philanthropic investment in U.S. Soccer’s women’s and girls’ programs, the largest donation ever to the organization by a woman. 

👉️ The LPGA Tour, the professional women’s golf circuit, announced a record $127.5 million in prize money for 2025, a 90% winnings increase in four years.

👉️ The National Women’s Soccer League Championship game is tomorrow. The Washington Spirit will face the Orlando Pride in front of 11,500 fans at Kansas City’s sold-out CPKC Stadium.

👉️ The much-anticipated movie adaptation of “Wicked” hits theaters today, and in the words of one reviewer, “It’s truly ironic that millions will flock to this movie to cheer for a woman of color (albeit green) in her rebellion against a populist charlatan who has whipped up the excitable citizens of Munchkinland into a frenzy of hatred against a marginalized group of (wait for it) animals.”

👉️ Mail is about to get a little more golden—the U.S. Postal Service is releasing a forever stamp featuring legendary late actress Betty White.

👉️ Beyoncé will headline the NFL halftime show during Netflix’s Christmas Day football game, marking a major step in the streaming service’s live entertainment strategy and her first performance of songs from her latest album.

👉️ Author Samantha Harvey won the prestigious Booker Prize for her novel Orbital, which takes place on the International Space Station.

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