Home
News
Could AI recruitment tools be affecting mums returning to work?

Could AI recruitment tools be affecting mums returning to work?

Mid-life women say AI recruitment tools could be making it harder to return to work after career breaks.

Getty

MadeForMums

Published: August 6, 2026 at 12:56 PM

Save

After years of building successful careers, many women expect returning to work to be challenging. But some say the rise of AI-powered recruitment tools has made the process even harder.

Women in their 40s, 50s and 60s have told the BBC they believe automated CV screening and AI-assisted hiring systems may be overlooking experienced candidates, particularly those with career breaks for childcare or caring responsibilities.

What to see more MadeForMums in your search results? Tell Google!

From parenting news to expert advice and trusted product recommendations, make sure you don't miss the MadeForMums content that matters to your family. Add MadeForMums as a Preferred Source on Google.

While experts say it's difficult to prove when AI has influenced an individual hiring decision, they warn employers should use these tools carefully to avoid reinforcing existing bias.

Why are women worried about AI recruitment?

52-year-old Stacey Duguid, who has spent decades working in senior fashion roles before freelancing, believes AI-powered hiring tools are disadvantaging mid-life women.

After deciding she wanted what she describes as "one last job", she spent 16 months applying for roles with little success.

Want to see this content?

This page contains content provided by Instagram. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as Instagram may use cookies and other technologies. To view this content, choose 'Accept and continue' to allow Instagram and its required purposes.

Accept and continue

She said she eventually started removing clues about her age and experience from her CV.

She told the BBC's Women's Hour: "I'm not saying this is just a women's issue; I've had messages from men too. My point is about gendered ageism."

Want to see this content?

Accept and continue

Rather than hearing from employers, she says most applications resulted in automated responses or no reply at all.

Could career breaks be affecting AI screening?

Many mums take time away from work to raise children, care for family members or reduce their hours. Some experts worry AI systems may not always recognise the value of those experiences.

Caroline Haines, chair of the City of London Women Pivoting to Digital Taskforce, told the BBC there is growing concern that some AI recruitment systems fail to recognise the strengths experienced women bring.

There is a high level of concern that AI at initial recruitment level... doesn't account for the skills of a vast body of women that could be very effective and therefore promote economic growth.

Caroline Haines, City of London Women Pivoting to Digital Taskforce

The taskforce says women who have career gaps because of childcare could be particularly vulnerable if automated systems interpret those breaks negatively.

Its research also found that 68% of more than 1,000 women surveyed said they had not been given opportunities by their employer to retrain or move into digital roles.

What do AI experts say?

Laura Holden, an AI lawyer and founder of Bonsai AI and legal consultancy, told the BBC that many employers do not fully understand how recruitment technology works.

She said some systems rank CVs or flag career gaps for recruiters, potentially influencing decisions before a human has properly reviewed an application.

Holden believes stronger regulation and independent testing are needed before AI recruitment tools are widely used.

Meanwhile, Dr Eleanor Drage, senior researcher at the University of Cambridge, said concerns about AI disadvantaging women are "very justified".

She believes human recruiters are often better placed to understand the value of transferable skills developed during career breaks, including maternity leave.

They’re not on the side of the jobseeker.

Dr Eleanor Drage, University of Cambridge

Dr Drage also suggested employers could use AI to review and improve their own hiring practices, rather than relying on it to assess applicants.

What can parents returning to work do?

Although there's no evidence that every AI recruitment tool disadvantages parents or older applicants, career experts often recommend:

Highlighting transferable skills gained through parenting, volunteering or caring responsibilities.
Tailoring your CV to each job description using relevant keywords.
Building professional networks alongside online applications.
Considering returner programmes designed for people coming back after career breaks.

Stacey has since created an online community to connect women experiencing similar challenges and encourage employers to think more carefully about how recruitment technology is used.

"I want us, as a group, to be heard and seen. And for gendered ageism to become a thing of the past," she told the BBC.

"Because if we're lucky, we all get old."

Authors

MadeForMums