Get started
Work

The Platform Economy and Gendered Labour: Navigating Structural Inequalities and Emerging Possibilities

Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: The platform economy, characterized by digital labour platforms and gig-based work, has transformed employment landscapes, offering both new opportunities and reinforcing long standing inequities for women. Rooted in historical analyses which highlighted the marginalization of women in labour markets, this study examines how emerging economic structures continue to reproduce gendered exclusions. Despite increased participation in self- employment and service-based sectors, women remain concentrated in precarious, low-paying roles, with limited access to formal employment opportunities. While the gig economy provides flexibility, it also entrenches vulnerabilities, such as low wages, precarious working conditions, and limited social protections. Drawing on Kabeer’s (1994) seminal framework of women’s empowerment and Naila Kabeer and Shahra Razavi’s (2012) work on social reproduction, this study examines how the platform economy intersects with structural barriers to shape women’s labour participation. Research by Srivastava (2020) and Mehrotra (2021) highlights the precarious nature of platform-based work, characterized by low wages, lack of social protection, and the persistence of unpaid care work responsibilities. Data from the International Labour Organization (ILO) and Oxfam (2022) underscore women’s overrepresentation in low-skilled, low-paying gig roles and their exclusion from high-tech, managerial positions. Studies by Das (2019) and Jha (2023) reveal how caste, class, and regional disparities intersect to amplify vulnerabilities for marginalized women in the platform economy, limiting their ability to benefit from these opportunities. Further, the withdrawal of state welfare measures and privatization of essential services have intensified the unpaid care burden, as noted by Sreenivasan and Mohanty (2020). This paper critically engages with the duality of the platform economy its potential to provide flexible work and its role in perpetuating exploitative labour conditions. Drawing on feminist critiques of labour markets, it explores self-help groups (Batliwala) and skill development programs (Chakrabarti) as potential pathways to address women’s economic vulnerabilities. The analysis also considers labour market shifts in the context of automation and digital skill disparities, drawing on research by Heeks (2020) and UNESCO (2021). By adopting an intersectional lens informed by Crenshaw’s (1989) work, this study underscores the urgency of inclusive policies that address systemic gender inequities in the platform economy. It advocates for equitable labour protections, investments in digital literacy, and gender-sensitive social support systems to transform the platform economy into a vehicle for women’s empowerment and economic justice.
DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.17244852
Language: English
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7084408593
FWCI:
Cites:
Cited by:
Related to: