From Empowerment to Exploitation: Women in the Gig Economy

Posted On - 10 June, 2026 • By - Rohitaashv Sinha

Introduction

The platform-based gig economy has emerged as one of the fastest-growing labour markets in India, with the workforce projected to increase significantly over the coming decade. Women constitute a growing share of this workforce, attracted by the promise of flexible working hours, greater autonomy and economic independence.

For many women, platform work offers an opportunity to enter the workforce while balancing domestic and caregiving responsibilities.

However, beneath this promise of flexibility lies a more complex reality. Female gig workers continue to face challenges relating to gender discrimination, wage inequality, workplace safety, algorithmic management and limited access to labour protections.

While digital platforms have expanded economic opportunities, they have not entirely eliminated traditional social and structural barriers. This article examines how the gig economy often reproduces existing inequalities through platform design, customer-driven rating systems and gaps in legal protection, particularly for women workers.

Gender Discrimination and Structural Exploitation

Despite the rapid expansion of the gig economy, women continue to face significant barriers within platform-based work. These challenges extend beyond unequal treatment and often reflect structural issues embedded within the design and operation of digital labour platforms.

Women are disproportionately concentrated in sectors traditionally associated with care and domestic work, such as:

  • Beauty services
  • Household assistance
  • Caregiving

In contrast, higher-paying segments such as ride-hailing, logistics and delivery services remain predominantly male-dominated. Various studies have highlighted persistent earnings disparities between male and female gig workers, reflecting broader labour market inequalities.

Algorithmic Blindness and Unpaid Care Work

One explanation for this disparity lies in what scholars describe as “algorithmic blindness.” Platform algorithms often assess worker performance based on metrics such as availability, response rates and task acceptance without accounting for gender-specific realities, including unpaid care work and household responsibilities.

Research indicates that many female gig workers simultaneously manage paid platform work alongside childcare, eldercare and domestic responsibilities. When workers are unable to accept assignments at short notice or maintain continuous availability, algorithms may interpret such behaviour as lower reliability.

This can affect ratings, visibility on the platform and access to future work opportunities, thereby reinforcing existing economic disadvantages.

Consequently, concerns regarding gender discrimination in the gig economy are increasingly linked not only to human decision-making but also to automated systems that may inadvertently replicate existing social inequalities.

Sexual Harassment and Workplace Safety Concerns

One of the most pressing concerns for women platform workers is the absence of effective institutional mechanisms to address workplace safety and sexual harassment.

Many female gig workers provide services within customers’ homes or other private locations, often without the protections traditionally associated with a physical workplace. This creates unique risks relating to:

  • Harassment
  • Intimidation
  • Personal safety

The Fairwork Global Report1 2024 highlighted that women gig workers across several jurisdictions continue to experience significant levels of workplace harassment and safety-related concerns. These risks are particularly acute for workers engaged in home-based services where platform oversight is limited.

Reported Incidents and Calls for Accountability

Several reported incidents involving women platform workers in India have drawn attention to the vulnerabilities associated with customer-facing gig work. Workers have alleged instances of inappropriate conduct, verbal harassment and unsafe working conditions while performing assignments.

Such incidents have intensified calls for stronger grievance redressal mechanisms, emergency support systems and platform accountability measures.

The tragic death of labour rights advocate Chandrika Goud in 2024 further renewed discussions regarding workplace safety, worker protections and the need for stronger safeguards for women participating in the gig economy.

The broader challenge lies in ensuring that platform workers have access to meaningful protection mechanisms, including complaint procedures, emergency assistance and institutional support when safety concerns arise.

Rating Systems and Economic Pressure

Customer rating systems have become one of the most influential mechanisms governing access to work in the gig economy. Ratings often determine key aspects of a worker’s experience, including:

  • Worker visibility on the platform
  • Allocation of assignments
  • Incentive eligibility
  • Continued access to the platform itself

Many workers report that maintaining high ratings is essential for economic survival. As a result, customer reviews can exert significant influence over a worker’s livelihood, even when ratings are affected by factors beyond the worker’s control.

Disproportionate Impact on Women Workers

For women workers, this dynamic may create additional pressure. Reports suggest that some workers tolerate unreasonable demands, inappropriate behaviour or excessive customer expectations out of concern that refusing such requests could negatively affect their ratings and future earning opportunities.

The constant need to maintain favourable ratings can contribute to stress, anxiety and economic insecurity. In some cases, workers have reported continuing assignments despite illness, fatigue or personal emergencies because of concerns regarding account restrictions or reduced access to work opportunities.

These concerns raise broader questions regarding the fairness, transparency and accountability of algorithmic management systems within digital labour platforms.

The legal framework governing gig workers in India continues to evolve. Traditionally, many labour protections were designed around conventional employer-employee relationships, creating uncertainty regarding their application to platform-based work.

A significant development came with the enactment of the Code on Social Security, 2020, which formally recognises gig workers and platform workers as distinct categories within India’s labour law framework. Although several provisions relating to social security schemes remain subject to implementation and policy development, the legislation represents an important step toward recognising the rights and vulnerabilities of platform workers.

Recent judicial developments have also sparked discussions regarding the applicability of workplace protection laws to gig workers. Courts have increasingly recognised the need to examine platform work through the lens of worker welfare, dignity and access to remedies, particularly in cases involving harassment and discrimination.

The growing debate surrounding the applicability of workplace safety laws, including protections against sexual harassment, reflects a broader shift towards ensuring that women platform workers are not excluded from fundamental workplace protections merely because of the structure of platform-based employment.

Conclusion

The experiences of women in India’s gig economy reveal a complex relationship between empowerment and vulnerability. While platform work has undoubtedly created new opportunities for economic participation and financial independence, it has also exposed women workers to persistent challenges relating to gender discrimination, wage disparities, workplace safety and algorithmic control.

The recognition of gig workers under the Code on Social Security, 2020 and increasing judicial attention towards platform worker rights represent important developments. However, meaningful progress will require stronger implementation of social security measures, effective workplace safety mechanisms, transparent platform governance and robust grievance redressal systems.

As the gig economy continues to expand, ensuring the following for women workers will be essential:

  • Equal pay
  • Workplace safety
  • Social security
  • Institutional protection

Without comprehensive reforms, the promise of flexibility and empowerment risks being overshadowed by structural vulnerabilities that continue to shape the experiences of women in platform-based work. A truly inclusive gig economy must be one that values not only efficiency and innovation but also dignity, fairness and worker protection.

Last Updated on 10 June, 2026