Gender discrimination hinders women’s labour market gains; technology could add new pressures.

Since the adoption of the SDGs, women’s labour participation has increased. Globally, labour force participation by prime-aged women (25–54) edged up from 62.8 per cent in 2015 to 64.5 per cent in 2024, after remaining stagnant for more than 2 decades. The gender gap narrowed from 29.9 to 27.7 percentage points. Significant barriers to women’s equality in the labour market remain, including pay gaps, limited opportunities for leadership, occupational segregation and unequal caregiving responsibilities. Despite comprising 40.3 per cent of the total labour force in 2024, women are projected to account for just 29.4 per cent of labour force increases from 2024–2026. Prime-age women with young children are especially affected, as caregiving responsibilities continue to hinder their workforce participation. In 2023, 66 per cent of prime-age women outside the labour force (379 million globally) cited caregiving as the main reason for not participating.

Several countries have made tangible progress in promoting women’s entry into the labour force and supporting their ability to balance education, career and family responsibilities. Saudi Arabia, for instance, introduced legal and policy reforms to boost women’s labour force participation and reduce care-related barriers. Participation has more than doubled, from 17.0 per cent in 2017 to 35.4 per cent by the third quarter of 2024. 

Alongside gains such as these, however, new threats to gender equality in the workforce are emerging, particularly from technologies such as generative AI. Globally, 27.6 per cent of women’s employment is exposed to generative AI, compared to 21.1 per cent of men’s employment. Investing in women’s digital and technical skills, facilitating transitions in different economic sectors, and implementing gender-responsive labour and social protection policies will be essential to avoid leaving women behind.