# Women underrepresented in AI roles as hiring and pay gaps persist

Digest AI · Society & Work · published 2026-10-04T13:00:29Z

Canonical: https://digestai.news/story/women-underrepresented-in-ai-roles-as-hiring-and-pay-gaps-persist

## Summary

A recent LinkedIn report shows women made up about a quarter of new hires in AI roles in the last year, compared with 50% of new hires in non‑AI roles, and only 13% of AI executive positions. The same research notes that AI jobs have doubled since 2023 and pay more than twice as much as non‑AI roles, yet men have a median $45,000 higher salary and women are concentrated in lower‑pay positions such as data annotators, according to LinkedIn’s head of global public policy partnerships, Sarah Steinberg.

Women in AI also face cultural and structural hurdles. Urvashi Batra, co‑founder and CEO of Prioriwise, says she is taken less seriously than her male co‑founder and that investors favor pitches from men. Engineers like Jayeeta Putatunda at Turing describe being the sole female on teams, long hours, and challenges returning from maternity leave. Advocacy groups warn that recent DOJ actions have forced companies such as Accenture and Deloitte to scale back DEI programs, limiting mentorship and sponsorship opportunities for women in AI.

## Key points

- Women accounted for about a quarter of new AI hires last year, versus 50% in non‑AI roles, and just 13% of AI executives (LinkedIn).
- Men earn a median $45,000 more than women in AI jobs, and women are concentrated in lower‑pay roles such as data annotators (LinkedIn, Steinberg).
- Companies have scaled back DEI programs amid DOJ enforcement, making mentorship and sponsorship harder for women in AI (Wilkerson, Newhouse).

## Why it matters

The gender gap in AI talent limits diversity of perspectives shaping fast‑growing, high‑pay technologies and risks widening economic inequality.

## Sources

1. [The AI industry is booming. Women are getting left behind](https://theguardian.com/technology/2026/oct/04/women-ai-jobs-inequality) (The Guardian AI, 2026-10-04)

## Cite

Digest AI, "Women underrepresented in AI roles as hiring and pay gaps persist", 4 October 2026, https://digestai.news/story/women-underrepresented-in-ai-roles-as-hiring-and-pay-gaps-persist

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