WageIndicator's 5th Gig Work Webinar: Women in Gig Work
According to the International Labour Organisation, the number of digital labour platforms has multiplied by five in just the last ten years. The Covid-19 pandemic has further accelerated the digitalisation of the workplace and the expansion of the gig economy across different sectors.
Gig work can offer women opportunities, for example, to enter or re-enter the labour market, earn an income, gain financial independence and flexibility… At the same time, however, many women across the world are encountering significant challenges in finding decent work in the gig economy.
Women in Gig Work is a two-part webinar event. The first webinar on 27 October will focus on domestic work, one of the sectors where digital platforms are expanding across the world. Domestic workers are, according to the National Domestic Workers Alliance (NDWA), the “original gig workers”. The sector is characterized for being highly informal, highly feminized and racialised, and for having precarious working conditions.
The second session of Women in Gig Work in March 2023 will focus on women's experiences in online web-based platforms.
Agenda
2.00pm - 2.05pm |
Welcome |
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Fiona DragstraWelcoming all attendants and explaining the rules of engagement |
2.05pm - 2.15pm |
Opening Keynote |
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Claire HobdenCoordinator, International Labour Organisation (ILO) Strategy on Decent Work for Domestic Workers Claire Hobden is a specialist on vulnerable workers and domestic work at the International Labour Organization (ILO), with close to 20 years of experience working on domestic work at local and international levels. Shortly after joining the ILO in 2009, Claire provided technical support in the negotiation of the ILO Domestic Workers Convention, 2011 (No. 189), and has since been working on its promotion and implementation. In her current position, Claire is responsible for the coordination of the ILO’s work on domestic work, providing technical assistance to governments, workers and employers’ organizations globally, and developing knowledge on how to make decent work a reality for domestic workers. She has published and contributed to the development of knowledge on a wide range of policy areas relating to domestic work, including minimum wages, working time, social protection, organizing, collective bargaining, and digital platforms. |
2.15pm - 2.45pm |
Panel DiscussionThe panel discussion will learn about the different platform models operating in domestic work, we will hear about how platforms are impacting working conditions, and we will share examples of worker-led movements and innovative policy/regulation. |
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Moderator: Olivia BlanchardOlivia is a senior researcher and has authored several reports on the impact of technology on society, with a focus on the digitalisation of care, the future of work and the gig economy. Her current work draws on over 15 years' international experience in research and advocacy in humanitarian aid, human rights and gender-based violence. She has a degree in Political Sciences (Bristol University, UK), she's trained in social science research methods (London School of Economics) and has a postgraduate certificate in Introducing a Gender Perspective in Projects and Public Policy - Theory & Methods (COLPIS, Barcelona). Olivia collaborates with the WageIndicator Platform Work team and works for the Digital Future Society think tank in Barcelona, Spain. More info |
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Aayush RathiSenior Researcher at Centre for Internet and Society (CIS) CIS is a Bengaluru-based non-profit organisation that undertakes interdisciplinary research on internet and digital technologies from policy and academic perspectives. Aayush Rathi has done research on the gig economy in domestic work and the beauty sector in India. More info |
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Fairuz MullageeFairuz Mullagee is the Coordinator of the Social Law Project at the Faculty of Law at University of the Western Cape. She has about twenty years of extensive research and management experience. Her 10-year association with UWC has focused broadly promoting social justice for precarious workers, more specifically domestic workers. She is currently a driving force in the Digital Platform Co-operative Project, a research and development initiative, to explore the use of technology for improving the collective bargaining environment for domestic workers. More info |
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Julia TiconaAssistant Professor at the University of Pennsylvania's Annenberg School for Communication She researches and writes about work and digital inequalities. Her book Left to Our Own Devices (Oxford, 2022) examines the ways that digital technologies play an increasingly important role in the lives of precarious workers, far beyond the gig economy apps like Uber and Lyft. She is an inaugural distinguished fellow at the Annenberg Center for Collaborative Communication, core faculty at the Center on Digital Culture and Society, and an Associate Fellow at the Institute for Advanced Studies in Culture. More info |
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2.45pm - 3.20pm |
Best PracticesMany organisations worldwide are busy with projects and tools to improve the conditions of domestic workers working via gig platforms. In this session two outstanding speakers will share their experience how they work on improving conditions for domestic workers. |
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Dawn GearhartDirector of Gig Economy Organizing at National Domestic Workers Alliance Dawn has spent the past 5 years organizing, representing, and advocating for workers in the gig-economy. As lead organizer for the App Based Driver’s and Western Washington Taxicab Associations, Dawn worked with more than 3000 drivers to develop innovative labor policy to provide a voice for drivers. In her present role as Director of Gig Economy Organizing at the National Domestic Workers Alliance Dawn is working in several pilot projects with municipalities and platform companies in the United States to improve the working conditions of domestic workers. She has a Bachelor of Science in Industrial and Labour Relations from Cornell University. More info |
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Juan Sebastian CadavidCEO at Hogaru Hogaru is an on-demand cleaning platform where cleaners are formally and legally employed by the company with all benefits. Cleaners are given a steady job through direct contracts and are paid fair wages with benefits. Hogaru launched the service “Apporta” in 2019. In exchange for a monthly subscription, the app facilitates the registration of domestic workers on the social security system and the payment of social security contributions. Presentation: Hogaru - Women in Gig Work More info |
3.20pm - 3.25pm |
Closing reflection |
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3.25pm - 3.30pm |
Thank you and Goodbye |