April 28, 2026

The Hidden Force Keeping Women from Using AI

23 minutes

What does attribution bias have to do with women adopting AI? Research has shown that women are more reluctant to embrace these new technologies than men and that this discrepancy is creating a whole new kind of workforce gap. One big reason for this reticence is a belief that using AI is somehow “cheating.” As an April 2026 study from Lean In shows, this assumption is backed up by a whole lot of concrete evidence.

If you’ve been avoiding AI and can’t quite put your finger on why, this episode might shed some light. Women are no strangers to attribution bias, and the ever-growing rise of this tech is a whole new field for unequal expectations to play out on. Workers who use AI tools see big productivity and career benefits. However, we can’t just dive into AI and expect the playing field to even itself out. We must also address the root causes of women’s reluctance and opposition to this new technology.

Fight the bias and reap the career rewards by learning more about:

The glaring difference in how credit and blame are assigned to men versus women;

How competence penalties are unequally doled out for female AI users;

The internal factors at play when we see AI as “cheating”;

Three ways you can start to push back against the attribution bias and the AI gender gap.

Related Links:

LinkedIn Learning Course, “Get Unstuck: Make a Plan to Move Your Career Forward” - https://www.linkedin.com/learning/get-unstuck-make-a-plan-to-move-your-career-forward

Lean In, New research: Women use AI less often at work and get less credit - https://leanin.org/research/ai-women-gender-gap-data

HBR, Research: The Hidden Penalty of Using AI at Work - https://hbr.org/2025/08/research-the-hidden-penalty-of-using-ai-at-work

Lean In, The AI gender gap: How women can break through - https://leanin.org/research/ai-women-gender-gap

Episode 540, The Double Disadvantage: AI, Women, and the Future of Work - https://www.bossedup.org/podcast/episode540

Episode 542, Why AI is Giving Women the “Ick” - https://www.bossedup.org/podcast/episode542

Episode 543, Why Your Resume Isn’t Working (and What to Do Instead) - https://www.bossedup.org/podcast/episode543

Bossed Up: A Grown Woman's Guide to Getting Your Sh*t Together - https://www.bossedup.org/book

Bossed Up Courage Community - https://www.facebook.com/groups/927776673968737/

Bossed Up LinkedIn Group - https://www.linkedin.com/groups/7071888/

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