10/28/2025

The AI Gender Gap Paradox

This is a case for fierce ambivalence

Several years ago, in an interview with Quartz, I argued that women are often mischaracterized as financially “risk-averse,” when a better description would be "risk aware." Instead of being celebrated as mindful stewards of financial resources, women are often perceived as being "too cautious." In another world—one where women define the terms—diligence would be seen as a strength rather than a perceived weakness. Women often see flaws in systems they have not built, weigh the stakes carefully and act accordingly.

The rise of generative AI, powered by large language models like ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini, has been brisk and disorienting. For many women, their gut response has been one of skepticism. When I tell women my age that I am working with women and tech-wary folks on how to navigate generative AI, I often see faces contort as if they have tasted something unpleasant. The anguished comments begin: "I hate that it exists.""Will a college degree mean anything anymore?" Some excitedly tell me about a new tool or prompt they have tried; more often, though, I hear feedback that results are generic and impersonal. A favorite game is to point out flagrant hallucinations, which for many people amount to evidence enough that these tools can never be trusted.

As in financial systems, women are attuned to the weaknesses in generative AI systems that designers didn't notice or prioritize (bias, privacy risks, unreliable outputs) before putting their products out into the world. Some of the industry’s more misogynistic offerings (see Grok’s Ani fantasy chatbot) or disturbing policies (see Facebook’s leaked policies on children and illicit content) are enough to send most users into a catatonic depression spiral. However, for women, beyond being offensive, such outputs are evidence of what gets built when development teams lack gender diversity. When women engage with systems that they have been largely left out of creating, the products can feel foreign, awkward or even hostile.

Please select this link to read the complete article from Stanford Social Innovation Review.