Towards a feminist understanding of digital platform work
Clara Punzi

TL;DR
This paper applies feminist theories to analyze digital platform work, highlighting issues of exploitation, inequality, and power imbalances, and proposing a framework for future research and structural reforms.
Contribution
It introduces a feminist framework with four key dimensions to better understand and address inequalities in digital platform labor.
Findings
Algorithmic management impacts marginalized groups disproportionately
Framework emphasizes precarity, surveillance, boundary blurring, and colonial legacies
Calls for participatory research and transparency in platform governance
Abstract
The rapid growth of the digital platform economy is transforming labor markets, offering new employment opportunities with promises of flexibility and accessibility. However, these benefits often come at the expense of increased economic exploitation, occupational segregation, and deteriorating working conditions. Research highlights that algorithmic management disproportionately impacts marginalized groups, reinforcing gendered and racial inequalities while deepening power imbalances within capitalist systems. This study seeks to elucidate the complex nature of digital platform work by drawing on feminist theories that have historically scrutinized and contested the structures of power within society, especially in the workplace. It presents a framework focused on four key dimensions to lay a foundation for future research: (i) precarity and exploitation, (ii) surveillance and control,…
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Taxonomy
TopicsDigital Economy and Work Transformation · Emotional Labor in Professions · Work-Family Balance Challenges
