[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"page:what-we-do\u002Fnews-stories\u002Fnews\u002F2022\u002Fwomen-in-gig-work-opportunities-and-challenges-for-domestic-workers-on-digital-platforms-in-the-us-south-africa-and-india-november-3-2022":3},{"id":4,"slug":5,"title":6,"short_title":7,"intro_text":8,"meta_description":9,"seo_title":8,"path":10,"content_type":11,"locale":12,"go_live_at":7,"first_published_at":13,"page_created_at":14,"published_at":13,"edit_url":15,"breadcrumbs":16,"seo":29,"body_blocks":37,"call_to_action":43,"categories":50,"labels":55,"owner":7,"authors":58,"related_pages":59,"related_sites":60,"in_subsite":61,"contact_page_url":62,"banner_message":63},5524,"women-in-gig-work-opportunities-and-challenges-for-domestic-workers-on-digital-platforms-in-the-us-south-africa-and-india-november-3-2022","Women In Gig Work: Opportunities and challenges for domestic workers on digital platforms in the US, South Africa and India - November 3, 2022",null,"","During the panel discussion of Women in  Gig Work, WageIndicator's fifth webinar on the platform economy, 3 speakers presented  what the platform economy looks like in their countries, and shared opportunities and issue resulting from their research.","\u002Fwhat-we-do\u002Fnews-stories\u002Fnews\u002F2022\u002Fwomen-in-gig-work-opportunities-and-challenges-for-domestic-workers-on-digital-platforms-in-the-us-south-africa-and-india-november-3-2022","pages.newspage","en","2022-11-03T15:20:00+00:00","2026-03-23T10:34:44.096792+00:00","\u002Fcms\u002Fpages\u002F5524\u002Fedit\u002F",[17,20,23,26,28],{"title":18,"slug":19},"What We Do","what-we-do",{"title":21,"slug":22},"News and Stories","news-stories",{"title":24,"slug":25},"News","news",{"title":27,"slug":27},"2022",{"title":6,"slug":5},{"title":6,"description":9,"image":30,"canonical":31,"robots":32,"og_type":33,"twitter_card":34,"locale":12,"created_at":35,"last_modified_at":36},"https:\u002F\u002Fwageindicator.org\u002Fmedia\u002Fimages\u002FSocial_media_preview_image_-_2025.2e16d0ba.fill-1200x630.png","https:\u002F\u002Fwageindicator.org\u002Fwhat-we-do\u002Fnews-stories\u002Fnews\u002F2022\u002Fwomen-in-gig-work-opportunities-and-challenges-for-domestic-workers-on-digital-platforms-in-the-us-south-africa-and-india-november-3-2022\u002F","index, follow","website","summary_large_image","2022-11-03T16:20:00+01:00","2026-04-02T22:39:22.914837+02:00",[38],{"type":39,"data":40},"raw_html_block",{"content":41,"variant":42},"\u003Cp>\u003Ca data-linktype=\"external\" data-val=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwageindicator.org\u002FWageindicatorfoundation\u002Fevents\u002F2022\u002Fwomen-in-gig-work-october-27-2022\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwageindicator.org\u002FWageindicatorfoundation\u002Fevents\u002F2022\u002Fwomen-in-gig-work-october-27-2022\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Women in Gig Work\u003C\u002Fa>, \u003Cstrong>WageIndicator’s fifth webinar on the platform economy\u003C\u002Fstrong>, focused on specifically on domestic workers who offer their services thourgh digital platforms.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cspan>After \u003Ca data-linktype=\"external\" data-plone_href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwageindicator.org\u002FWageindicatorfoundation\u002FWageIndicatorgazette\u002F2022\u002Fwomen-in-gig-work-claire-hobden-from-the-ilo-shares-research-results-on-global-domestic-work-november-3-2022\" data-val=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwageindicator.org\u002FWageindicatorfoundation\u002FWageIndicatorgazette\u002F2022\u002Fwomen-in-gig-work-claire-hobden-from-the-ilo-shares-research-results-on-global-domestic-work-november-3-2022\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwageindicator.org\u002Fwhat-we-do\u002Fnews-stories\u002Fgig-blog\u002F2023\u002Fwomen-in-gig-work-claire-hobden-from-the-ilo-shares-research-results-on-global-domestic-work-november-3-2022\u002F\">Claire Hobden’s keynote speech\u003C\u002Fa>, it was the turn of the \u003Cstrong>panel discussion\u003C\u002Fstrong>, moderated by Olivia Blanchard, a researcher for the Mobile World Capital Foundation who collaborates with the WageIndicator Gig Team.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch2>\u003Cspan>The panel discussion\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cspan>\u003Cimg alt=\"panelists\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwageindicator.org\u002Fmedia\u002Fimages\u002Fpanelists-4b8e04c3f73f.width-320.jpg\"\u002F>\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thanks to the panel discussion, we could \u003Cstrong>deepen the scenario of three countries\u003C\u002Fstrong> where on-demand cleaning and care platforms have predominantly expanded in the last few years: the \u003Cstrong>United States\u003C\u002Fstrong>, \u003Cstrong>South Africa\u003C\u002Fstrong> and\u003Cstrong> India\u003C\u002Fstrong>. \u003Cstrong>Julia Ticona\u003C\u002Fstrong>, \u003Cstrong>Fairuz Mullagee\u003C\u002Fstrong> and \u003Cstrong>Aayush Rathi\u003C\u002Fstrong> respectively described \u003Cstrong>what the platform economy looks like locally\u003C\u002Fstrong>, and shared opportunities and issues resulting from their research and workers’ interviews.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch2>Differences and similarities\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\u003Cp>“\u003Cstrong>Platforms are not disrupting the sector: they are exploiting what was already there in these labor market sectors: informality and the presence of intermediaries\u003C\u002Fstrong>”, \u003Cstrong>Julia Ticona\u003C\u002Fstrong>, Assistant Professor at the \u003Cstrong>University of Pennsylvania\u003C\u002Fstrong>'s Annenberg School for Communication, emphasized.\u003Cbr\u002F>“Care.com is the biggest, a kind of Amazon of domestic work. It has a lot of workers registered on the platform, but also many employers. And Facebook is an extremely important platform too,” she added.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With regard to the question why workers choose platforms for their work, Julia Ticona said that “from a worker’s perspective, platforms offer a \u003Cstrong>semblance of professionalism\u003C\u002Fstrong>, and a bit of control over who they work for. These are strong motivations for workers to sign up in the first place.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Aayush Rathi\u003C\u002Fstrong>, Senior Researcher at Bengaluru-based \u003Cstrong>Centre for Internet and Society\u003C\u002Fstrong>, agreed on the fact that “platforms as \u003Cstrong>intermediaries\u003C\u002Fstrong> have assumed the role to connect domestic workers to employers,” even if\u003Cstrong> word of mouth\u003C\u002Fstrong> is still predominant, when it comes to finding a job. However, platforms have expanded so much that it’s now impossible to not talk about domestic and care work on digital platforms anymore.\u003Cbr\u002F>In addition to this, “while food delivery and taxi driving are male-dominated sectors, domestic work is \u003Cstrong>over-represented by women\u003C\u002Fstrong> who often migrate without partners or families.” This does not exclude that men are quite often engaged by platforms’ \u003Cstrong>promises of professionalism\u003C\u002Fstrong> and ‘packages’ of professional training. Their marketing is the major draw for many of them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As reported by \u003Cstrong>Fairuz Mullagee\u003C\u002Fstrong>, Coordinator of the Social Law Project at the Faculty of Law at \u003Cstrong>University of the Western Cape\u003C\u002Fstrong>, platforms offering cleaning and care services in South Africa began to slowly emerge in 2014. They became a lot more visible from 2018 onwards, when spotlights turned to the widespread deactivation of Uber accounts.\u003Cbr\u002F>South Africa has seen the birth and the growth of a few \u003Cstrong>small, localized platforms\u003C\u002Fstrong>, emerging in an atmosphere of general enthusiasm. Then, issues soon made their appearance: the idea of flexible work and easy access to the platforms did not prevent workers from \u003Cstrong>losing their jobs\u003C\u002Fstrong>, being forced to find up to\u003Cstrong> five employers per week to make a living\u003C\u002Fstrong>, and seeing \u003Cstrong>their work devalued\u003C\u002Fstrong>, whatever their expertise was. “As it is now, domestic work does not provide the chance to make a career or to earn more as time goes by. There are no possibilities for personal and professional growth.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch2>Pay is still a big issue\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\u003Cp>Panelists agreed that there are challenges that affect South African platform domestic workers, as well as Indian and US-based ones:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cul>\n\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>The first challenge is pay\u003C\u002Fstrong>. Workers do not often have enough gigs to earn a decent income. On the contrary, if they work long hours, they need to find multiple employers, and in many cases, that’s not even enough to make a living.\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>Secondly, \u003Cstrong>lack or reduction of social protections\u003C\u002Fstrong> make them face their vulnerability on a daily basis.\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>Thirdly, the \u003Cstrong>hidden costs\u003C\u002Fstrong> have a huge impact on their income. Platforms’ \u003Cstrong>commissions\u003C\u002Fstrong> remain generally high, and to make matters worse, workers are called to incur equipment costs (such as uniforms).\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003C\u002Ful>\n\u003Cp>All this to say that \u003Cstrong>platforms are designed to optimize one side’s experience: the customer’s\u003C\u002Fstrong>. This power dynamic makes it impossible for workers to fight for their rights or benefit from grievance mechanisms.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cul>\n\u003Cli>\u003Ca data-linktype=\"external\" data-plone_href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwageindicator.org\u002FWageindicatorfoundation\u002FWageIndicatorgazette\u002F2022\u002Fwomen-in-gig-work-claire-hobden-from-the-ilo-shares-research-results-on-global-domestic-work-november-3-2022\" data-val=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwageindicator.org\u002FWageindicatorfoundation\u002FWageIndicatorgazette\u002F2022\u002Fwomen-in-gig-work-claire-hobden-from-the-ilo-shares-research-results-on-global-domestic-work-november-3-2022\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwageindicator.org\u002Fwhat-we-do\u002Fnews-stories\u002Fgig-blog\u002F2023\u002Fwomen-in-gig-work-claire-hobden-from-the-ilo-shares-research-results-on-global-domestic-work-november-3-2022\u002F\">Watch the video of Claire Hobden's keynote speech\u003C\u002Fa>\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>\u003Ca data-linktype=\"external\" data-plone_href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwageindicator.org\u002FWageindicatorfoundation\u002FWageIndicatorgazette\u002F2022\u002Fwomen-in-gig-work-what-can-be-done-for-domestic-workers-on-digital-platforms-the-national-domestic-workers-alliance-and-hogaru-november-3-2022\" data-val=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwageindicator.org\u002FWageindicatorfoundation\u002FWageIndicatorgazette\u002F2022\u002Fwomen-in-gig-work-what-can-be-done-for-domestic-workers-on-digital-platforms-the-national-domestic-workers-alliance-and-hogaru-november-3-2022\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwageindicator.org\u002Fwhat-we-do\u002Fnews-stories\u002Fgig-blog\u002F2023\u002Fwomen-in-gig-work-what-can-be-done-for-domestic-workers-on-digital-platforms-the-national-domestic-workers-alliance-and-hogaru-november-3-2022\u002F\">What can be done for domestic workers on digital platforms: the best practices sessions with the National Domestic Workers Alliance and Hogarù\u003C\u002Fa>\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003C\u002Ful>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cem>The second session of Women in Gig Work in March 2023 will focus on the gendered experiences of online web-based platform work, including on both freelance and microtask platforms. This will be the topic of the \u003Ca data-linktype=\"internal\" data-plone_href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwageindicator.org\u002Fabout\u002Fevents\u002F2023\u002Fwomen-in-gig-work-web-based-work-march-31-2023\" data-val=\"21dfc40e54404f909cf29efd3c2dc0b1\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwageindicator.org\u002Fwhat-we-do\u002Fevents\u002F2023\u002Fwomen-in-gig-work-web-based-work-march-31-2023\u002F\">Women in Gig Part 2\u003C\u002Fa> webinar, scheduled for March 2023.\u003C\u002Fem>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Ciframe allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" height=\"314\" src=\"\u002F\u002Fwww.youtube.com\u002Fembed\u002FR9Lj9hneAws\" width=\"560\">\u003C\u002Fiframe>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Ca data-linktype=\"internal\" data-val=\"d294fdb6c2844195975f9733c9e6e176\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwageindicator.org\u002Flabour-laws\u002Fplatformeconomy\">LEARN MORE ABOUT WAGEINDICATOR PLATFORM ECONOMY PROJECT\u003C\u002Fa>\u003C\u002Fp>","light",{"text":44,"link":45},"Contact us",{"title":44,"url":46,"description":44,"rel":47,"type":48,"id":49},"\u002Fabout\u002Fcontact","follow","internal",24590,[51],{"id":52,"slug":53,"name":54},6,"platform-economy","Platform Economy",[56],{"id":57,"slug":25,"name":24},1,[],[],[],false,"\u002Fwork\u002Fliving-wages\u002Fcontact-us","\u003Cp>Welcome to WageIndicator. Same organisation, same information, new look!\u003C\u002Fp>"]