AI wage premium widens as women secure just 26% of skilled hires

The rapid expansion of the artificial intelligence sector is creating a significant wage premium, yet the benefits are not being shared equally across genders. New research from LinkedIn indicates that typical AI-related job listings advertise salaries of approximately $177,000, more than double the roughly $80,000 advertised for non-AI roles. While this financial incentive suggests a lucrative opportunity for skilled workers, the hiring data reveals a persistent structural imbalance in who is actually securing these positions.

In the United States, women accounted for only 26% of hires into jobs requiring AI skills in 2025, a sharp decline from the 50% share observed in non-AI roles. This disparity is particularly notable given that women remain underrepresented across much of the broader technology industry. The data suggests that the AI boom may be widening the existing gender pay gap rather than closing it, as the highest-paying roles become increasingly inaccessible to female candidates.

Experts attribute this divergence to a combination of self-selection and narrow definitions of AI talent. Jackie Cook, founder and CEO of Momentum Group, notes that many women are already performing work that could reasonably be considered AI experience, such as redesigning workflows or analysing data, without necessarily identifying themselves as "AI experts." This self-selection can shape the applicant pool before hiring even begins, compounding the effects of employers who define AI talent narrowly.

The barriers extend beyond the initial application process into the broader hiring pipeline. Deepika Sidana, a senior manager and enterprise AI leader, argues that the issue is not simply a lack of technical ability but a systemic problem involving who is encouraged to pursue these fields and who receives sponsorship for advancement. She highlights that cultural perceptions often associate technical confidence and engineering ability more readily with men, influencing education choices and workplace visibility from an early stage.

The impact of this disparity is visible at the highest levels of corporate leadership. According to LinkedIn, women hold just 13% of C-suite AI leadership roles at AI companies across 27 countries. This narrow pipeline becomes even tighter as women climb the corporate ladder, with many finding that the structural barriers and systemic pitfalls that created the initial gap persist throughout their careers.

The existing gender pay gap provides further context for these findings. Pew Research data from 2024 indicates that women in the US earned 85 cents for every dollar earned by men based on median hourly earnings. As AI roles command a significant wage premium, the underrepresentation of women in these positions risks carrying today’s pay gap into the next generation of work, potentially exacerbating the financial inequality between men and women.