Yes, Women Are The Future Of Work: It’s Time To Put Women At The Top

The future is literally female.

Women are the majority of workers in what a new report from The 75 Million defines as the top 10 occupations in the U.S. through 2034. Yet the number of women in leadership in all arenas does not match equally with men.

Healthcare workers and software developers –affected enormously by the advancement of AI-- are the two most needed sectors of employees, with dramatic ranges of gender and pay disparities in those arenas as well as all 10.

“Healthcare workers and software developers are the 2 most needed sectors of employees thru 2034, with dramatic ranges of gender and pay disparities. #genderequity @75million @takeleadwomen”

Take The Lead’s Power Up Conference 2026 on Women’s Equality Day, August 26, features experts and leaders directly addressing the latest trends and shifts including those in women’s healthcare as well as how women are using AI as a strategy to problem solve and adapt to an evolving workforce.

Learn more about Power Up Conference here.

"Women are the backbone of the fastest-growing sectors in this economy, but driving growth is not the same as sharing in it. We cannot keep asking women to build an economy that refuses to pay them what they're worth," says Janelle Jones, an economist with The 75 Million.

While the numbers are good, it is the number of women in leadership in those fields that will make a difference.

“If women are not calling the shots in those top areas of work, there will be the same biases affecting our culture today that will be baked in. If women do not have the responsibility of leadership to counter that, there will be no change,” says Gloria Feldt, cofounder and president of Take The Lead.

“If women are not calling the shots in those top areas of work, there will be the same biases affecting our culture today that will be baked in,” says Gloria Feldt, cofounder and pres @takeleadwomen. #womenleadership ”

The question to ask is, “How are you using those numbers to inculcate more fairness in the world?” Feldt asks.

Using data and projections from Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Women Are Leading The Next Decade of Job Growth report shows women make up a combined 58 percent of workers in the 10 fields of work, and earn less than men in all 10. Four of the top 10 occupations are in the health care sector where women are at nearly three-quarters of all four occupations.

In the registered nurse occupation, women are 89 percent of the workforce, but earn 92 cents on every dollar a male nurse makes.

Tech is a different narrative. For software developers, women make up 6 percent of the field today and a projected 19 percent by 2034. Women are paid 88 percent of what men are paid for the same tech jobs.

“This does not represent an organic shift in culture or in our economics. It's engineered. It's a deliberate effort to push women out of the workplace and limit their ability to participate fully in the economy. And with it,” says Maya Rupert, campaign manager of The 75 Million, a campaign co-convened by the National Women's Law Center and the National Partnership for Women and Families.

“It’s a deliberate effort to push women out of the workplace and limit their ability to participate fully in the economy,” says @MayaRupert @the75million @nwlc @NPWF. #women #economy”

“Significant job growth will come from women working in healthcare. Of the top 10 jobs expected to grow the most, 4 are in healthcare, and women make up 70% of those jobs. The top growing job is home health aides, which is 82% women,” says Jones.

“Women in these top 10 growing jobs are paid 10% less than their male counterparts in the same jobs. That's a smaller gender gap than in the economy as a whole, but still too big for working women facing an affordability crisis,” according to Jones.

“Of the top 10 jobs expected to grow the most, 4 are in healthcare, where #women make up 70% of jobs. says Janelle Jones, #economist @nwlc @NPWF. #womenemployment ”

At this year’s Power Up Conference, the urgency for attention on women’s healthcare and wellness is included with panelist input from Sophia Yen, MD, MPH, co-founder of Pandia Health, and a sponsor of the conference with the theme, “Audacity: Leadership in Action.”

“The urgency for attention on leadership in women’s healthcare and wellness is a topic #PowerUpConference2026 with Sophia Yen, MD, co-founder of @PandiaHealth and Jennifer Weiss-Wolf @bwlc_nyu”

Yen says Pandia Health launched in 2016, is a “woman-funded, woman-led, women of color company” offering programs of universally accessible women’s health and wellness. She adds, the organization has a mission of “providing accessible and high-quality online women’s healthcare with a simple, personal, and convenient patient experience.” The in-house telemedicine group with expert doctors offers uninterrupted medication fulfillment, including birth control accessible 364 days a year.

The data in the 75 Million study shows the top 10 occupations are (1) home health aides, (2) software developers, (3) stockers and order fillers, (4) fast food and counter workers, (5) restaurant cooks, (6) registered nurses, (7) general and operations managers, (8) medical and health services managers, (9) financial managers, and (10) nurse practitioners.

The report states, “From healthcare to restaurants, women are a majority of the workforce in the occupations that will grow the economy. ”

“From healthcare to restaurants, women are a majority of the workforce in the occupations that will grow the economy through 2034. @nwlc @NPWF #women #economy @takeleadwomen”

Heather Florio, CEO of Dessert Harvest, and Take The Lead board member, is leading a panel discussion at Take The Lead’s Power Up Conference on health advocacy for women, current and future needs and solutions.

Tech is greatly affected, particularly with rapid expansion of AI. Stacey Engle, CEO of Twin Protocol; founder, Authority Lab, and Take The Lead board member is speaking at the Power Up Conference 2026. “In this AI era, the data is the land and the ownership is the gold rush,” Engle said recently.

“The plan for data is what women will have the opportunity for in AI,” Engle says. And while AI has rightfully been criticized for bias and misinformation, errors and mishaps, Engle adds, “Hopefully AI can be amplified just as much for good.”

The top two “emerging threats to women's projected job growth are the rise of artificial intelligence and proposed federal cuts to healthcare spending,” the report shows.

“Despite the potential for negative consequences, AI systems can also serve as powerful tools to advance women’s leadership,” says Feldt. “By leveraging AI to analyze data, organizations can identify and address gender disparities in various aspects of their operations, such as hiring, promotions, and compensation.”

“By leveraging AI to analyze data, organizations can identify and address gender disparities in various aspects of their operations, such as hiring, promotions, and compensation,” says Gloria Feldt, co-founder, pres @takeleadwomen #PowerUpConference2026”

Yes, Women Are The Future Of Work: It’s Time To Put Women At The Top

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