Bridging the Gap: Policy Strategies and Interventions for Women Platform Workers in India

Anweshaa Ghosh ()
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Anweshaa Ghosh: Institute of Social Studies Trust

Chapter 16 in Women and Work in India: Challenges, Opportunities and Perspectives for Policy, 2026, pp 377-390 from Springer

Abstract: Abstract The platform economy in India creates new income opportunities for women but also reinforces existing gender inequalities. Women remain concentrated in feminized sectors such as beauty and wellness and domestic work with very few in ride-hailing or delivery services. Limited access to assets, credit and digital skills restricts their entry while the absence of gendered disaggregated data obscures their realities. Women platform workers face high precarity, lacking job security, social protection and stable earning—conditions that intensify financial stress, especially for primary earners. Gender wage gap persists fueled by discriminatory customer ratings, safety concerns and unequal care burdens. Platform power and information asymmetries driven by opaque algorithms and data control further disadvantage women and contribute to early exit from such work. Advancing women’s participation requires gender responsive regulation, fair wages, social protection, digital training, child care support and platform accountability. Collaborative action can build a more equitable and empowering digital labour economy for women.

Keywords: Gender wage gap; Women platform workers; Gig workers and platform workers; Power and information asymmetry in platform work; Gender lens for designing algorithms codes; Contextual laws and policies (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
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DOI: 10.1007/978-981-95-6103-2_16

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