Women@Work panelists highlighted a paradox: real progress alongside real setbacks. Sponsorship (access) beats mentorship (advice), but it requires more male allies as senior women grow scarcer. With few women in AI/ML, new tools risk embedding old biases, making data tracking and careful validation essential.
Key takeaways
- Women@Work panelists highlighted a key paradox: organizations are making progress while still facing persistent setbacks in advancing women at work.
- Sponsorship, which creates access to opportunities, can be more impactful than mentorship alone, but requires stronger allyship as the number of senior women leaders declines.
- As women remain underrepresented in AI and machine learning roles, organizations must prioritize data tracking and validation to help prevent new technologies from reinforcing existing biases.
A central theme of ADP’s annual Women@Work summit is increasing opportunities for women in the workplace. One of the sessions from the sixth annual virtual event zeroed in on access as a foundational piece of the future of women at work. In a discussion titled “Reigniting momentum: Advancing women’s progress with purpose and possibility,” panelists explored how to transform stalled progress into a powerful launchpad for meaningful, lasting advancement.
