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

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  • Gerber, Christine

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.

Suggested Citation

  • Gerber, Christine, 2022. "Gender and precarity in platform work: Old inequalities in the new world of work," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 37(2), pages 206-230.
    • Handle: RePEc:zbw:espost:265071
    DOI: 10.1111/ntwe.12233
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    2. Nicholas Martindale & Alex J. Wood & Brendan J. Burchell, 2024. "What do platform workers in the UK gig economy want?," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 62(3), pages 542-567, September.
    3. Lars Hornuf & Daniel Vrankar, 2022. "Hourly Wages in Crowdworking: A Meta-Analysis," Business & Information Systems Engineering: The International Journal of WIRTSCHAFTSINFORMATIK, Springer;Gesellschaft für Informatik e.V. (GI), vol. 64(5), pages 553-573, October.
    4. Yi Zhang & Dan Li & Shengren Liu, 2024. "Research on the Impact of the Public Safety Emergencies on Women Riders’ Preference of Shanghai Real-Time Crowdsourcing Logistics Platform," SAGE Open, , vol. 14(2), pages 21582440241, May.
    5. Bansal, Sanchita & Nangia, Priya & Singh, Shifali & Cichoń, Dariusz, 2024. "Where's our share: Agenda for gender representation in mining industry," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 90(C).
    6. Ensar Balkaya & İkram Yusuf Yarbaşı & Muhammed İkbal Tepeler, 2023. "Determinants of Demand in Digital Platform-Mediated Service Work in Turkey: An Empirical Study," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(13), pages 1-18, July.

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