Gender and precarity in platform work: Old inequalities in the new world of work

Abstract

Platform work creates a work model that is both a curse and a blessing for vulnerable labour market segments. Based on research on female precarity, the article expects that remote platform work-so-called crowdwork-could especially attract women who need to combine income and care responsibilities. This article investigates whether women experience more precarity on crowdwork platforms than men, and why their risks differ. It analyses data from a quantitative survey with crowdworkers in Germany and the United States. The results indicate higher precarity risks for women due to care work, which are also indirectly mediated via the employment status. The higher commodification of labour and weaker social infrastructure lead to generally greater precarity risks for platform workers in the United States. The high differences between women and men in Germany underline the gendered nature of labour market dualization and precarization as well as the traditional division of housework. Policy measures should address both platform work and these structural inequalities.

Sharing in the gig economy: from equitable work relations to exploitative HRM

“…, 2019). Furthermore, these working patterns may be influenced by gender, with women typically being more likely to rely on gig work as their only source of income (Gerber, 2022; Howcroft and Rubery, 2019).…”

“…Secondly, despite growing literature on the gig economy (e.g. Gerber, 2022; Inversi et al. , 2022) and the moral economy (e.g.…”

Hourly Wages in Crowdworking: A Meta-Analysis

“…In general, women are less experienced in crowdworking and also more involved in care work (Litman et al 2020 ). As a result, they must often take on less favorable tasks at off-peak times, because most tasks are posted during the working hours of large requesters, such as those in the United States (Berg et al 2018 ; Gerber 2022 ). The location of crowdworkers is also important because high-paying tasks are often restricted to workers in a specific country, which is mostly in the developed world (Lehdonvirta et al 2019 ; Rani and Furrer 2021 ).…”

Platforms of inequality: gender dynamics of digital labour in Africa

“…Numerous studies have now documented that the high-intensity work and long working hours coupled with income insecurities contribute to the adverse physical and psychological impact on gig workers (see Anwar and Graham 2022;Graham et al 2017;Ravenelle 2019). These outcomes are particularly acute for women (see Gerber 2022).…”

“…Conceptually, the paper argues that platforms generate inequalities both due to the technologically mediated labour process and the gendered nature of sociopolitical and cultural relations. Algorithmic management of the labour process adversely affects women workers more than men (see Gerber 2022). Workers also remain embedded in specific geographical landscapes governed by sociopolitical and cultural norms.…”