Gender and Careers in Platform-Mediated Work: A Longitudinal Study of Online Freelancers

TL;DR

This longitudinal study investigates how gender disparities affect online freelancers' long-term careers on digital platforms, highlighting persistent inequalities and proposing concepts for more equitable platform work environments.

Contribution

It introduces the concepts of career disempowerment and platform-mediated motherhood penalty, advancing gender-inclusive research in CSCW with empirical insights from five years of data.

Findings

Persistent gender disparities influence long-term career trajectories.

Gender-based inequalities impact work sustainability on digital platforms.

Introduction of new concepts for understanding gendered platform work.

Abstract

We advance gender-inclusive research within the CSCW field by investigating the long-term gendered experiences of online freelancers on digital labor platforms. The prevalence of gender-based inequalities has attracted significant attention within the CSCW community. Yet, insights remain limited on how these inequalities shape workers' long-term experiences on digital labor platforms. Through a five-year longitudinal study of 105 freelancers on Upwork, we reveal persistent gender disparities that influence workers' long-term work and career trajectories, raising concerns about the sustainability of platform-mediated work. We advance the ongoing dialogue on gender inclusivity in the community by introducing the concepts of career disempowerment and platform-mediated motherhood penalty and by offering research and design implications for CSCW to foster more sustainable, equitable platform work environments for all genders.