Keeping an Eye on Technology Futures, No Hidden Agendas, New Attitudes, No Platitudes!
British Telecomm futurologist Ian Pearson predicts that some 20 years from now, intelligent machines will do more and more of the kind of work that men do in business today. Women will provide emotional abilities that machines cannot. The more advanced technology gets, the more it makes us appreciate the types of human skills in which women excel.
Ray Kurzweil predicts that machines will soon have "consciousness" - intelligence comparable with humans. When that comes, people will have a very different part to play; they will add the human element to business, getting close to customers on an emotional level. The result will be that women's role will become more important in business. The future will become a women-driven economy.
Technology already allows women to do jobs that previously needed male strength - like driving trucks, firefighting, even combat roles. Similarly, automation of intelligence means that neither men nor women will be needed in many future business roles in the information economy.
The social and emotional skills normally associated with women are harder to automate, and traditional management hierarchies will change drastically. Fewer managers will be required as computers take over - extrapolating the elimination of supervisory and management layers in the factory-based economy. Computers will coordinate the knowledge workforce. The remaining management jobs will mostly require female characteristics and skills.
Today, women achieve leadership roles when they show male characteristics. Tomorrow, men will become leaders only when they use their female side.
A workplace dominated by women could have negative side-effects. If men start to feel "bossed" by women, they may start to look for other "male" challenges. History suggests that when large numbers of men remain stagnant they start to blame other groups, and start wars. Unintended consequences.....
