Gender and Platform Work: Beyond Techno-Solutionism

This report draws on the past four years of findings from the Fairwork project to shed light on gendered experiences in location-based platform work. The report is based on Fairwork’s research conducted across 38 countries and with over 190 digital platforms, most of which work across multiple countries.

It finds that commonplace practices in the platform economy, such as failing to guarantee a living wage, unsafe working conditions, and inadequately tackling gender-based discrimination, risk widening the gender pay gap, reducing workforce participation rates, and cementing gender inequities.

The report concludes that platforms need to be more responsive to women and gender minorities and that the tech-based solutions they are deploying are not protecting women workers. It explains how the five Fairwork principles can improve gender equity in gig work and provides a series of policy recommendations that can bring about better conditions and create more inclusive working environments.