Technology could widen the gender employment gap, the IMF warns
Technology is often espoused as a great leveler, enabling sudden and sweeping economic progress for huge swathes of society.

But it could also play a role in perpetuating a major societal divide: The gender employment gap.

That's according to a new report from the International Monetary Fund, which found that women face a greater threat of losing their jobs to technology than their male counterparts.

Up to 26 million women in major economies could see their jobs displaced within the next two decades, if technology continues at its current rate, the IMF found.

That puts 11% at high risk (a 70% likelihood) of job disruption compared to 9% of men, which the report said could lead to a further widening of the pay gap between men and women.

The disparity noted by the report is led primarily by occupational divides, which see women disproportionately represented in low-skilled, clerical and sales roles that are routine-heavy and therefore prone to automation. That's a result of both "self-selection" — women choosing certain professions — as well as exposure, the report said.

"We find that women, on average, perform more routine or codifiable tasks than men across all sectors and occupations ― tasks that are more prone to automation," the report's authors wrote.

"Moreover, women perform fewer tasks requiring analytical input or abstract thinking (e.g., information-processing skills), where technological change can be complementary to human skills and improve labor productivity," it added.