Women are significantly underrepresented in the AI industry: only 26% of new hires in 2025 are women

Key Findings

• AI is one of the fastest-growing career fields, but according to research released last week by LinkedIn, women accounted for only 26% of new hires in AI roles in 2025, even though they made up half of new hires in non-AI roles.
• In the highest-paying AI positions, the share of women is even lower: only 20% of AI executive roles are held by women, women hold 26% of AI director positions, and only 18% in technical roles. LinkedIn noted that across the 27 countries studied, "in AI companies' executive ranks, women hold only 13% of C-suite leadership positions."
• The largest share of AI roles goes to those with university degrees, with 91% of positions obtained by applicants with a bachelor's degree or higher. In the highest-paying roles, this figure exceeds 95%.

Deeper Analysis

The study analyzed job postings on LinkedIn in the U.S. and found that since 2023, the number of companies offering AI roles on the platform has roughly doubled, with the average annual salary for AI positions around $177,000, compared to $80,000 for non-AI roles.

However, despite the abundance of opportunities, the AI hiring pipeline shows significant disparities in gender and education, especially at the highest levels.

"The findings suggest that although AI is becoming an increasingly important source of career advancement and economic opportunity, women are not accessing these opportunities," the report said.

Three main barriers prevent women from entering AI roles: the role gap, the company gap, and the leadership gap. In AI roles, women's representation is about 10 percentage points lower than in non-AI roles; at the company level, the proportion of women employees at AI companies is about 5 percentage points lower than at non-AI companies. Meanwhile, the leadership gap is the largest. LinkedIn stated that the gender gap in AI is about 15 percentage points wider in C-suite positions than in roles below the executive level.

The gender issue is not new. A 2024 report by Zeki Research found that although women have played key roles in AI development and early-career women are valued in the workplace, their career trajectories are ultimately interrupted.

"As careers progress, women receive 30% less visibility and recognition than their peers, representing a serious loss of potential in the AI field," Zeki said in a statement.

Additionally, according to a May report by the National Partnership for Women and Families, women make up 83% of workers in roles highly susceptible to AI impact. In the 15 roles most vulnerable to AI, women of color account for 31%, including gig economy, caregiving, and warehousing jobs.