As International Women’s Day approaches, new data from Coursera (NYSE: COUR) reveals that women are increasingly gaining access to GenAI and critical thinking skills, signaling progress in closing the gender gap in emerging technology education. Between 2024 and 2025, female enrollments in Coursera’s 1,100+ GenAI courses rose from 32% to 36%.
“One Year Later: The Gender Gap in GenAI” builds on Coursera’s previous report, examining how institutions are improving women’s engagement with the skills that will define tomorrow’s economy. Women’s adoption of GenAI is accelerating faster than men’s, though gaps remain in certain regions.
Regional Trends Highlight Progress and Challenges
Latin America leads in female GenAI participation, with standout growth in Peru (+14.5 percentage points YoY), Mexico (+5.3), and Colombia (+4.5). The Asia Pacific region is also narrowing the gap, with Uzbekistan up 8.8 points and gains in India, Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand, and the Philippines.
However, in many developed Anglophone countries, women’s share of GenAI enrollments has declined slightly: the United States (-0.9), Canada (-1.0), the United Kingdom (-1.8), Spain (-1.1), and Germany (-0.2).
Once women enroll, persistence is high. Across top GenAI markets, female learners are 1.5 times more likely to complete courses than their male peers, demonstrating that the primary barrier is access rather than capability.
Courses Driving Female Engagement
Courses that frame GenAI as immediately practical see the highest female participation, including:
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Generative AI Content Creation from Adobe: 49% female enrollments
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AI in Education: Leveraging ChatGPT for Teaching (Wharton & OpenAI): 48.8% female enrollments
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Excel and Copilot Fundamentals (Microsoft): 45.2% female enrollments
Dr. Alexandra Urban, Learning Science Research Lead at Coursera, notes, “When barriers are lowered and GenAI skills feel practical and attainable, women are eager to adopt them at scale. Equitable access to these skills is essential for sharing in the economic gains GenAI promises.”
Recommendations for Closing the Gap
The report urges institutions to:
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Design beginner-friendly GenAI courses with real-world applications
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Ensure visible representation and inclusive pedagogy
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Expand access via policy, partnerships, and localization
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Reinforce participation through role models and social validation
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Pair AI skills with durable human capabilities like critical thinking
Coursera’s findings suggest that targeted course design and inclusive outreach can meaningfully increase women’s participation in AI skills, reinforcing the importance of strategic interventions to create equitable access to future-ready capabilities.
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