Artificial Intelligence and Women’s Economic Independence: Gender, Power, and Inequality in the Governance of AI

This thesis examines how artificial intelligence may affect women’s economic independence and gender equality, with particular attention to the governance of AI and the unequal distribution of power within technological systems. It explores the impact of AI on women’s participation in the labour market, including job displacement, algorithmic bias, the digital gender divide, and unequal access to technological resources and decision-making processes. Drawing on feminist political economy and intersectionality, the thesis analyses how these dynamics may reinforce existing economic inequalities and forms of dependency, potentially increasing women’s vulnerability to gender-based violence. The study also considers the role of current AI governance frameworks and the extent to which they address gender-specific risks and structural inequalities. It argues that AI governance cannot be treated as gender-neutral and that more inclusive, transparent, and gender-responsive approaches are necessary to ensure that technological development contributes to women’s economic autonomy rather than reproducing existing patterns of inequality.