Women (Still) Ask For Less

Abstract

In many traditional labor markets, women earn less on average compared to men. However, it is unclear whether this discrepancy persists in the online gig economy, which bears important differences from the traditional labor market (e.g., more flexible work arrangements, shorter-term engagements, reputation systems). In this study, we collected self-determined hourly bill rates from the public profiles of 48,019 workers in the United States (48.8% women) on Upwork, a popular gig work platform. The median female worker set hourly bill rates that were 74% of the median man's hourly bill rates, a gap than cannot be entirely explained by online and offline work experience, education level, and job category. However, in some job categories, we found evidence of a more complex relationship between gender and earnings: women earned more overall than men by working more hours, outpacing the effect of lower hourly bill rates. To better support equality in the rapidly growing gig economy, we encourage continual evaluation of the complex gender dynamics on these platforms and discuss whose responsibility it is to address inequalities.

Gender Differences and Lost Flexibility in Online Freelancing During the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…These findings align with existing research on the gendered nature of work. Foong et al (2018) also report that women across the entirety of the Upwork platform earn less per hour than the median man on Upwork, even when controlling for key variables such as work experience, highest education level, and job category. And, while it is beyond the scope of our exploratory study, our findings contribute to broader discourse on precarity and the feminization of cognitive labor (per Morini, 2007 ).…”

“…As such, women are often engaging in additional work outside the traditional labor economy, what sociologists call a "second shift," referring to unpaid household responsibilities (Hochschild and Machung, 1989), and a "third shift," referring to unpaid emotional labor outside the home (Gerstel, 2000). Within the context of online freelancing, scholars have shown the naivete of the notion that these platform-mediated markets are gender-neutral (e.g., Foong, Vincent, Hecht and Gerber, 2018;Pichault and McKeown, 2019).…”

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

“…Platform research sensitive to gender (and other dimensions of inequality) is just at the beginning (Foong et al, 2018; MacDonald & Giazitzoglu, 2019; Piasna & Drahokoupil, 2017; Schor, 2017). A number of studies show that despite the promise of enhanced equality in the online labour market, discrimination takes place due to client prejudices and within algorithmic labour relations (Cook et al, 2018; Leung & Koppman, 2018).…”

“Why lose control?” A Study of Freelancers’ Experiences with Gig Economy Platforms

“…Management research has focused on how freelancers experience platformic management in their everyday lives, suggesting that while platforms may facilitate a structure where freelancers have greater control of their work, their autonomy is restrained by technological features such as rating systems and surveillance mechanisms [62,72]. Similarly, other studies have identified that freelancers join platforms looking for rewarding work experiences, but that platforms' technological features, such as rating systems, constrain their creativity and autonomy [50], and amplify race and gender biases [19,28]. These examinations highlight the impact that platforms have on freelancers' livelihood.…”