Contextualizing inequalities in the gig economy

Evidence from online cleaning platforms in five European cities

Bibliographic Data

ID7990912
AuthorsGiovanni Amerigo Giuliani (0000-0001-6001-2650, University of Bologna Department of Political and Social Sciences (SPS)), Rebecca Paraciani (0000-0001-9863-4025, University of Bologna Department of Political and Social Sciences (SPS))
Year2025
Volume46
Issue5-6
Pages1-20
Publication date2025-09-03
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueInternational Journal of Sociology and Social Policy (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0144-333X • E-ISSN: 1758-6720
PublisherEmerald Publishing Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1108/ijssp-12-2024-0619
OpenAlexW4413966299
LanguageEN
References cited52

Purpose This paper explores the impact of national contexts on the profile of workers in the gig economy, with a specific focus on online cleaning platforms. The study aims to understand how national contexts influence the gender and ethnic composition of workers on domestic cleaning platforms, examining the intersectional effects of gender and ethnicity in platform-based work. Design/methodology/approach Focusing on the case of the Yoopies platform operating in five Western European cities – Berlin, Copenhagen, Paris, Rome and Stockholm – this exploratory research is based on an original dataset that combines platform-based data directly collected from Yoopies with national-level data provided by Eurostat. Hypotheses were tested using simple correlation analysis to assess cross-country differences. Findings The study shows that national contexts play an important role in shaping the gender and ethnic composition of workers on online cleaning platforms. Specifically, it identifies how structural features of the offline labor market influence the gendering and racialization of these platforms, highlighting variations across countries. The research also finds evidence of intersectional effects, where gender and ethnicity intersect to shape the profile of platform workers. Originality/value This paper contributes to the growing literature on domestic work in the digital platform economy by providing a comparative perspective on cross-country differences in the composition of the platform workforce. It highlights the importance of national offline labor market characteristics in contributing to shaping platform-mediated work and provides new insights into the intersectionality of gender, ethnicity, and work in the gig economy. The findings contribute to both platform economy research and labor market studies, offering implications for policy and future research on the dynamics of digital work

Business · Economic geography · Economics · Gig economy · Inequality · Market economy · Precarity · Digital Economy and Work Transformation · Sharing Economy and Platforms · Taxation and Compliance Studies

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