Women's Leadership

Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming our world—but when it reflects existing biases, it can reinforce discrimination against women and girls. From hiring decisions to healthcare diagnoses, AI systems can amplify gender inequalities when trained on biased data. So how can we ensure AI is ethical and inclusive? Zinnya del Villar, a leading expert in responsible AI, shares insights on the challenges and solutions in a recent conversation with UN Women.

What is  AI gender bias and why does it matter?

“AI systems, learning from data filled with stereotypes, often reflect and reinforce gender biases,” says Zinnya del Villar. “These biases can limit opportunities and diversity, especially in areas like decision-making, hiring, loan approvals, and legal judgments.”

At its core, AI is about data. It is a set of technologies that enable computers to do complex tasks faster than humans. AI systems, such as machine learning models, learn to perform these tasks from the data they are trained on. When these models rely on biased algorithms, they can reinforce existing inequalities and fuel gender discrimination in AI. 

Imagine, training a machine to make hiring decisions by showing it examples from the past. If most of those examples carry conscious or unconscious bias – for example, showing men as scientists and women as nurses – the AI may interpret that men and women are better suited for certain roles and make biased decisions when filtering applications.

This is called AI gender bias— when the AI treats people differently on the basis of their gender, because that’s what it learned from the biased data it was trained on.

Full article published by UN Women on 5 February 2025.

As we commemorate World Telecommunications and Information Society Day this year, with its theme of gender equality in digital transformation, we focus on the transformative power of technology in the lives of women across Egypt. Central to this progress in Egypt is the Qodwa-Tech initiative, launched by the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT) and supported by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

Since its inception in 2019, Qodwa-Tech has been empowering women across all governorates, training over 32,000 women so far. Its core mission is to bridge the gender digital divide by equipping women with essential digital skills—from social media marketing and e-commerce to advanced areas like artificial intelligence—and fostering leadership capabilities.

Today, we shine a spotlight on inspiring women beneficiaries of the Qodwa-Tech initiative—women whose lives are being transformed by the power of technology. Their stories exemplify resilience, innovation, and leadership—proof that digital inclusion is a vital tool for achieving gender equality and sustainable development.

Full article published by UNDP on 17 May 2025.

Naila Kabeer is a Professor Emerita in Gender and International Development at the Department of International Development, London School of Economics and Political Science. She is also a Faculty Associate at LSE’s International Inequalities Institute and serves on the governing Naila’s extensive work and research focuses on gender equity, social justice, labour markets, and poverty alleviation. Naila Kabeer joined a two-day Expert Group Meeting organized by UN Women to address one of the most persistent barriers to gender equality in political and public life: discriminatory social norms. The event held on 4-5 February 2025 brought together feminist scholars, policymakers, activists, and practitioners to chart a path forward for transforming social norms and ensuring women’s full and effective political participation. This experts’ meeting was organized under the WYDE | Women’s Leadership, funded by the European Union, which is a collaborative global effort aimed at advancing women’s full and effective political participation and decision-making at all levels, especially those most often left furthest behind.

what advice would you give to young women aspiring to lead in their communities and countries?

Have courage. The world is not always kind to young women who step forward! Find support, build alliances, you don’t have to face the system alone. Be present in every space where decisions are made and make people aware that gender equality matters everywhere. Having allies and a strong constituency behind you will give you the strength to keep going. And finally, never let anyone put you down!

Full interview available here.

Last month, representatives from UN Women and Zenobia, a civil society organization, spoke at the launch of France’s feminist foreign policy strategy by Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Noël Barrot, highlighting the need for a feminist approach to global peace and technology.

Last month, UN Women and Zenobia — a Syrian civil society organization supported by the Women’s Peace and Humanitarian Fund, or WPHF — were invited to speak at the launch of France’s international strategy for a feminist foreign policy. The event marked a key moment in reaffirming the centrality of gender equality and women’s rights across diplomacy, peace, and technology. It also offered a timely opportunity to reflect on how digital governance and peacebuilding intersect with the ambitions of feminist multilateralism.

Four years ago in Paris, UN Women and the government of France stood alongside global advocates to launch the Generation Equality Forum. This initiative aimed to accelerate global gender equality through collaborative, multistakeholder partnerships that would mobilize concrete commitments and increase investments to advance the Beijing Platform for Action. Our goal was ambitious: to build the world’s first multistakeholder Action Coalition on Gender, Technology and Innovation. We were driven by the conviction that the digital revolution will not advance justice and democracy unless it is feminist.

Read here the full article published by Devex on 21 April 2025.

Image by Devex